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IT     DID     NOT     TAKE     LOXG     TO     TRANSFER    THE    SACKS    INTO    THE 
BOAT 


THE 

TREASURE  OF  THE  INCAS 

A  TALE  OP  ADVENTURE  EN  PERU 


BY 


G.   A.   HENTY 

Author  of  "With  Buller  in  Natal,"  "At  the  Point  of  the  Bayonet," 
"By  England's  Aid,"  "With  Cochrane  the  Dauntless,"  Ac. 


WITH  EIGHT  ILLUSTRATIONS  BY  WAL  PAGET 
AND  A   MAP 


NEW  YORK 

CHARLES  SCRIBNER'S   SONS 
1911 


COPYRIGHT,  1902,  vr 
CHARLES  SCRIBNER'S  SONS 

Published,  September,  1906 


Colleger 
Library 


PREFACE 


The  mysterious  loss  of  a  large  portion  of  the  treasure  of 
the  Incas  has  never  been  completely  cleared  up.  By  tortur- 
ing the  natives  to  whom  the  secret  had  been  entrusted,  the 
Spaniards  made  two  or  three  discoveries,  but  there  can  be 
little  doubt  that  these  finds  were  only  a  small  proportion  of 
the  total  amount  of  the  missing  hoards,  although  for  years 
after  their  occupation  of  the  country  the  Spaniards  spared 
no  pains  and  hesitated  at  no  cruelty  to  bring  to  light  the 
hidden  wealth.  The  story  of  the  boat  which  put  to  sea  laden 
with  treasure  is  historical,  and  it  was  generally  supposed  that 
she  was  lost  in  a  storm  that  took  place  soon  after  she  sailed. 
It  was  also  morally  certain  that  the  Peruvians  who  left  the 
country  when  the  Spaniards  became  masters  carried  off  with 
them  a  very  large  amount  of  treasure  into  that  part  of  South 
America  lying  east  of  Peru.  Legends  are  current  that  they 
founded  a  great  city  there,  and  that  their  descendants  occupy 
it  at  the  present  time.  But  the  forests  are  so  thick,  and  the 
Indian  tribes  so  hostile,  that  the  country  has  never  yet  been 
explored,  and  it  may  be  reserved  for  some  future  traveller, 
possessing  the  determination  of  my  two  heroes,  to  clear  up 
the  mystery  of  this  city  as  they  penetrated  that  of  the  lost 
treasure-ship.  It  need  hardly  be  said  that  the  state  of  con- 
fusion, misrule,  and  incessant  civil  wars  which  I  have  de- 
scribed as  prevailing  in  Peru  presents  a  true  picture  of  the 
country  at  the  period  in  which  this  story  is  laid. 

G.  A.  HESTTY. 


1060732 


CONTENTS 


CHAP.  PAGB 

I.  How  rr  CAME  ABOUT 

II.  THE  START 19 

III.  AT  LIMA 37 

IV.  A  STREET  FRAY 54 

V.  AMONG  THE  MOUNTAINS 71 

VI.   A  TROPICAL  FOREST 87 

VII.   AN  INDIAN  ATTACK 105 

VIII.   DEFEAT  OF  THE  NATIVES 124 

IX.   THE  SIGNAL  STAB 142 

X.  A  FRESH  START 160 

XL   BRIGANDS 168 

XII.   PRISONERS 190 

XIII.  LETTERS  FROM  HOME 204 

XIV.  THE  CASTLE  OF  THE  DEMONS 220 

XV.   INVESTIGATIONS 237 

XVI.  THE  SEARCH  BEGINS 256 

vii 


yili  CONTENTS 

CHAP.  PAGE 

XVII.   AT  WORK 272 

XVIII.   DISAPPOINTMENT 290 

XIX.   THE  TREASURE , 311 

XX.  HOME    .                                                                  .  329 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


FAGB 
"IT    DID    NOT    TAKE    LONG    TO    TRANSFER    THE    SACKS    INTO 

THE  BOAT  " Frontispiece 

HARRY  AND  BERTIE  INTRODUCE  THEMSELVES  TO  DIAS   .    .  44 

"  THEY  HALTED  BY  THE  SIDE  OF  A  SPLENDID  WATERFALL  "  94 

AN  INDIAN  SPIES  THE  EXPEDITION 1U8 

"DO  YOU   SEE  THEM?"   MARIA  WHISPERED 114 

A  MIDNIGHT  SURPRISE 164 

"  THEY  SAW  APPROACHING  A  PEASANT  WOMAN  SITTING  ON 

A  MULE  " 196 

"HARRY  DROPPED  THE  BARREL  OF  HIS  RIFLE  INTO  THB 

PALM  OF  HIS  LEFT  HAND" ,    .  248 


Map  of  Peru 


THE  TREASURE  OP  THE  INCAS 


CHAPTER  I 

HOW  IT  CAME  ABOUT 

TWO  men  were  sitting  in  the  smoking-room  of  a  London 
club.    The  room  was  almost  empty,  and  as  they  occu- 
pied arm-chairs  in  one  corner  of  it,  they  were  able  to 
talk  freely  without  fear  of  being  overheard.     One  of 
them  was  a  man  of  sixty,  the  other  some  five  or  six  and 
twenty. 

"  I  must  do  something,"  the  younger  man  said,  "  for  I  have 
been  kicking  my  heels  about  London  since  my  ship  was  paid 
off  two  years  ago.  At  first,  of  course,  it  didn't  matter,  for  I 
have  enough  to  live  upon;  but  recently  I  have  been  fool 
enough  to  fall  in  love  with  a  girl  whose  parents  would  never 
dream  of  allowing  her  to  marry  a  half -pay  lieutenant  of  the 
navy  with  no  chance  in  the  world  of  getting  employed  again, 
for  I  have  no  interest  whatever." 

"  It  is  an  awkward  case  certainly,  Prendergast,"  the  other 
said;  "and  upon  my  word,  though  I  sympathize  with  you, 
I  cannot  blame  Fortescue.  He  is  not  what  you  might  call 
a  genial  man,  but  there  is  no  doubt  that  he  was  a  splendid 
lawyer  and  a  vonderful  worker.  For  ten  years  he  earned 
more  than  any  man  at  the  bar.  I  know  that  he  was  twice 
offered  the  solicitor-generalship,  but  as  he  was  making  two 
or  three  times  the  official  salary,  he  would  not  take  it.  I 
believe  he  would  have  gone  on  working  till  now  had  he  not 

1 


2  THE  TKEASUEE  OF  THE  INCAS 

suddenly  come  in  for  a  very  fine  estate,  owing  to  the  death, 
in  the  course  of  two  or  three  years,  of  four  men  who  stood 
between  him  and  it.  Besides,  I  fancy  he  got  hints  that  in 
the  general  opinion  of  the  bar  he  had  had  a  wonderfully  good 
innings,  and  it  was  about  time  that  younger  men  had  a  share, 
in  it.  What  his  savings  were  I  do  not  know,  but  they  must 
be  very  large.  His  three  sons  are  all  at  the  bar,  and  are 
rising  men,  so  there  was  no  occasion  for  him  to  go  on  piling 
up  money  for  them.  But,  as  I  say,  he  has  always  had  the 
reputation  of  being  a  hard  man,  and  it  is  practically  certain 
that  he  would  never  allow  his  daughter  to  marry  a  man  whom 
he  would  regard  as  next  door  to  a  pauper.  Now,  what  are 
you  thinking  of  doing  ?  " 

"  Well,  sir,  Miss  Fortescue  has  agreed  to  wait  for  me  for 
two  years,  and  of  course  I  am  eager  to  do  something,  but 
the  question  is  what?  I  can  sail  a  ship,  but  even  could  I 
get  the  command  of  a  merchantman,  it  would  not  improve 
my  position  in  the  eyes  of  the  parents  of  the  lady  in  question. 
Now,  you  have  been  knocking  about  all  over  the  world,  I 
do  wish  you  would  give  me  your  advice.  Where  is  there 
money  to  be  got?  I  am  equally  ready  to  go  to  the  North 
Pole  or  the  Equator,  to  enter  the  service  of  an  Indian 
prince,  or  to  start  in  search  of  a  treasure  hidden  by  the  old 
bucaneers." 

"You  talk  Spanish,  don't  you?" 

"  Yes ;  all  my  service  has  been  in  the  Mediterranean.  We 
were  two  years  off  the  coast  of  Spain,  and  in  and  out  of  its 
ports,  and  as  time  hung  heavily  on  our  hands,  I  got  up  the 
language  partly  to  amuse  myself  and  partly  to  be  able  to 
talk  fluently  with  my  partners  at  a  ball." 

The  elder  man  did  not  speak  for  a  minute  or  two. 

"  You  have  not  thought  of  South  America  ? "  he  said  at 
last. 

"  No,  Mr.  Barnett ;  I  don't  know  that  I  have  ever  thought 
of  one  place  more  than  another." 

The  other  was  again  silent. 

: 


HOW  IT  CAME  ABOUT  3 

"I  don't  think  you  could  do  better  anywhere,"  he  said 
slowly.  "It  is  a  land  with  great  possibilities;  at  any  rate 
it  is  a  land  where  you  could  be  understood,  and  of  course 
it  would  be  folly  to  go  anywhere  without  a  knowledge  of  the 
language.  I  was,  as  you  know,  five  years  out  there,  and  came 
home  when  the  war  broke  out  between  Chili  and  the  Span- 
iards. I  have  been  more  in  Peru  than  in  Chili,  and  as  Peru 
was  still  in  the  hands  of  the  Spanish,  it  would  have  been 
impossible  for  me  to  go  there  again  as  long  as  the  war  lasted. 
Knocking  about  as  I  did,  I  heard  a  great  deal  from  the 
natives  (I  mean  the  Indians).  I  gathered  from  them  a  num- 
ber of  their  traditions,  and  I  am  convinced  that  they  know 
of  any  number  of  gold  mines  that  were  formerly  worked, 
but  were  blocked  up  when  the  Spaniards  invaded  the  country, 
and  have  been  kept  secret  ever  since. 

"  The  natives  have  never  spoken  on  the  subject  at  all  to 
the  Spaniards.  If  they  had,  they  would  have  been  flogged 
until  they  revealed  all  they  knew — that  is  to  say,  they  would 
have  been  flogged  to  death,  for  no  tortures  will  wring  from 
an  Indian  anything  he  knows  about  gold.  They  look  upon 
that  metal  as  the  source  of  all  the  misfortunes  that  have 
fallen  upon  their  race.  With  an  Englishman  whom  they  knew 
and  trusted,  and  who,  as  they  also  knew,  had  no  wish  whatever 
to  discover  gold  mines,  they  were  a  little  less  reticent.  I 
never  asked  them  any  questions  on  a  subject  in  which  I  had 
not  a  shadow  of  interest,  but  I  certainly  had  some  curiosity, 
not  of  a  pecuniary  kind,  because  the  matter  had  always  been 
a  riddle  as  to  the  hiding-place  of  the  Incas'  treasures.  And 
from  what  I  learned  I  should  say  it  is  absolutely  certain  that 
a  great  portion  of  these  escaped  the  search  of  their  Spanish 
tyrants. 

"  Whether  the  men  who  were  employed  in  the  work  all  died 
without  revealing  the  secret,  or  whether  it  had  been  trusted 
to  a  chosen  few,  I  know  not;  but  the  natives  believe  that 
there  are  still  a  few  among  them  to  whom  the  secret  has 
been  passed  down  from  father  to  son.  Anyhow,  all  had 


4  .          THE  TBEASUBE  OP  THE  INCAS 

heard  vague  traditions.  Some  said  that  part  of  the  treasure 
was  carried  hundreds  of  miles  inland  and  given  over  to  a 
tribe  of  fierce  savages,  in  a  country  into  which  no  European 
can  enter.  Another  tradition  is  that  a  portion  of  it  was 
carried  off  by  sea  in  a  great  canoe,  which  was  never  heard  of 
again  and  was  believed  to  have  been  lost.  I  am  not  for  a 
moment  supposing,  Prendergast,  that  if  you  went  out  there 
you  would  have  the  most  remote  chance  of  discovering  what 
the  Spaniards,  ever  since  they  landed  there,  have  been  in  vain 
trying  to  find,  and  I  certainly  should  not  think  of  recom- 
mending a  mad-brained  adventure,  but  undoubtedly  there  are 
many  rich  gold  mines  yet  to  be  found.  There  are  openings 
for  trade,  too ;  and  I  can  give  you  introductions  to  merchants 
both  in  Chili  and  Peru.  It  is  not  a  thing  I  should  recom- 
mend to  everyone,  far  from  it;  but  if  you  want  to  combine 
adventure  with  a  chance,  however  small,  of  making  money, 
I  don't  know  that  you  can  do  better  than  go  to  South 
America.  You  are  fitted  for  no  calling  here;  your  income, 
counting  your  half-pay,  would  suffice  to  keep  you  out  there, 
and  a  couple  of  years  of  such  a  life  would  do  you  no  harm." 

"  It  is  just  what  I  should  like,"  the  young  man  said  enthu- 
siastically ;  "  though  I  don't  know  how  I  should  set  to  work 
if  I  did  find  a  mine." 

"  You  would  have  to  bring  home  specimens,  with  particu- 
lars of  the  width  of  the  lode.  Of  course  you  would  crush 
pieces  up  and  wash  them  yourself,  or  get  your  Indian  to 
wash  them ;  that  would  give  you  an  approximate  idea  of  the 
percentage  of  gold.  If  it  were  rich,  I  could  introduce  you 
to  men  who  would  advance  money  for  working  it,  giving 
you  a  share  of  the  profits.  They  would  send  out  a  mining 
expert  with  you.  He  would  verify  your  report,  and  then 
you  would  take  up  the  concession.  I  don't  know  whether 
there  have  been  any  changes  in  the  regulations,  but  there 
is  no  difficulty  in  learning  how  to  proceed  from  one  or  other 
of  the  men  to  whom  I  will  give  you  introductions.  The  thing 
would  not  be  worth  thinking  of  were  it  not  that  the  man 


HOW  IT  CAME  ABOUT  5 

•who  always  went  with  me  as  guide  and  muleteer  is  an  Indian, 
and  has,  I  am  convinced,  a  knowledge  of  some  of  these  places. 
He  was  with  me  all  the  time  I  was  out  there.  I  saved  his  life 
when  a  puma  sprang  upon  him,  and  he  more  than  once  hinted 
that  he  could  make  me  a  rich  man,  but  I  had  no  inclination 
that  way,  my  income  being  sufficient  for  all  my  wants.  Still, 
on  the  chance  that  he  is  alive — and  he  was  about  thirty  when 
he  was  with  me  fifteen  years  ago,  so  it  is  probable  that  he 
is  still  to  the  fore — I  will  give  you  a  letter  to  him  telling  him 
that  you  are  a  dear  friend  of  mine,  and  that  I  trust  to  him 
to  do  any  service  he  can  for  you  just  as  he  would  have  done 
for  myself.  Had  it  not  been  for  that  I  should  never  have 
mentioned  the  matter  to  you.  These  old  mines  are  the  dream 
of  every  Peruvian.  They  have  been  searching  for  them  ever 
since  the  conquest  of  the  country,  and  as  they  have  failed, 
it  is  absurd  to  think  that  an  Englishman  would  have  the 
slightest  chance  of  lighting  upon  a  mine,  still  less  of  finding 
any  of  the  Incas'  treasures.  But  with  the  Indian's  aid  it  is 
just  possible  that  you  may  find  something,  though  I  should 
advise  you  most  strongly  not  to  build  in  any  way  upon  the 
chance.  I  consider  that  you  cannot  possibly  win  Miss  For- 
tescue;  that  being  so,  two  years  of  knocking  about  will  not 
make  your  position  worse,  and  by  the  time  you  come  back, 
you  may  have  ceased  to  struggle  against  fate.  It  will  afford 
you  a  remote — but  distinctly  remote — opportunity  of  better- 
ing your  position,  will  give  you  something  else  to  think  about 
besides  that  young  lady's  charms,  and  you  may  even  come  to 
recognize  that  life  is,  after  all,  possible  without  her.  You 
may  shake  your  head,  lad;  but  you  know  children  cry  for 
the  moon  sometimes,  yet  afterwards  come  to  understand  that 
it  would  not  be  a  desirable  plaything." 

"  Well,  at  any  rate,  Mr.  Barnett,  I  am  extremely  obliged 
for  your  suggestion  and  for  your  offer  of  introductions.  It 
is  just  the  life  that  I  should  enjoy  thoroughly.  As  you  say, 
the  chance  that  anything  will  come  of  it  is  extremely  small, 
but  at  least  there  is  a  possibility,  and  I  take  it  as  a  drowning 
man  catches  at  a  straw." 


6  THE   TBEASUKE   OF   THE  INCAS 

"  By  the  way,  you  mustn't  think  only  of  gold ;  silver  is, 
after  all,  the  chief  source  of  the  riches  of  Peru,  and  there 
are  numbers  of  extraordinarily  rich  mines.  It  is  calculated 
that  three  hundred  millions  have  been  produced  since  the 
first  occupation  by  the  Spaniards.  Quicksilver  is  also  very 
abundant;  copper  and  lead  are  found  too,  but  there  is  not 
much  to  be  done  with  them  at  present,  owing  to  the  cost  of 
carriage.  There  is  good  shooting  in  the  mountains  on  the 
eastern  side  of  the  Andes,  and  you  will  find  plenty  of  sport 
there." 

They  talked  over  the  matter  for  some  time  before  they 
separated,  and  Harry  Prendergast  became  quite  excited  over 
it.  On  his  return  to  his  rooms  he  was  astonished  to  find 
the  candles  alight  and  a  strong  smell  of  tobacco  pervading 
the  place.  A  lad  of  about  sixteen  leapt  from  the  easy-chair 
in  which  he  had  been  sitting,  with  his  feet  on  another. 

"  Hullo,  Harry,  I  didn't  expect  you  back  so  soon !  The 
maid  said  you  were  dining  out,  and  I  suppose  that  generally 
means  one  o'clock  before  you  are  back." 

"  Well,  what  brings  you  here,  Bert  ?  I  thought  I  had  got 
you  off  my  hands  for  a  year  at  least." 

"  I  thought  so,  myself,"  the  lad  said  coolly ;  "  but  circum- 
stances have  been  too  strong  for  me.  We  were  running  down 
the  Channel  the  night  before  last,  when  a  craft  that  was 
beating  up  ran  smack  into  us.  I  don't  know  that  it  was  his 
fault  more  than  ours;  the  night  was  dark,  and  it  was  very 
thick,  and  we  did  not  see  each  other  until  she  was  within 
a  length  of  us.  Luck  was  against  us ;  if  she  had  been  a  few 
seconds  quicker  we  should  have  caught  her  broadside,  but  as 
it  was  she  rammed  us,  knocking  a  hole  in  our  side  as  big  as  a 
house,  and  we  had  just  time  to  jump  on  board  her.  Our  old 
craft  went  down  two  minutes  after  the  skipper,  who  was  of 
course  the  last  man,  left  her.  The  other  fellow  had  stove 
his  bow  in.  Luckily  we  were  only  about  a  couple  of  miles 
off  Dungeness,  and  though  she  leaked  like  a  sieve,  we  were 
able  to  run  her  into  the  bay,  where  she  settled  down  in  two 


HOW  IT  CAME   ABOUT  7 

and  a  half  fathoms  of  water.  As  soon  as  it  was  light  we 
landed  and  tramped  to  Dover.  A  hoy  was  starting  for  the 
river  that  evening,  and  most  of  us  came  up  in  her,  arriving 
at  the  Pool  about  three  hours  ago.  It  is  a  bad  job,  Harry, 
and  I  am  horribly  put  out  about  it.  Of  course  nothing  could 
be  saved,  and  there  is  all  the  new  kit  you  bought  for  me  down 
at  the  bottom.  I  sha'n't  bother  you  again;  I  have  quite 
made  up  my  mind  that  I  shall  ship  before  the  mast  this  time, 
and  a  five-pound  note  will  buy  me  a  good  enough  outfit  for 
that." 

"  We  need  not  talk  about  that  now,  Bertie.  You  are  cer- 
tainly an  unlucky  beggar;  this  is  the  second  time  you  have 
been  wrecked." 

"  It  is  a  frightful  nuisance,"  the  boy  said.  "  It  is  the  kit 
I  am  thinking  of,  otherwise  I  should  not  mind.  I  didn't 
care  for  the  skipper.  He  seemed  all  right  and  decent  enough 
before  we  started,  but  I  soon  heard  from  fellows  who  had 
sailed  with  him  before  that  he  was  a  tartar;  and  what  was 
worse,  they  said  he  was  in  the  habit  of  being  drunk  two  nights 
out  of  three.  However,  that  has  nothing  to  do  with  it.  I 
am  really  awfully  sorry,  Harry.  You  have  been  a  thunder- 
ing good  elder  brother.  I  hated  to  think  that  you  had  to 
shell  out  last  time,  and  I  have  quite  made  up  my  mind  that 
you  sha'n't  do  it  again." 

"  Well,  it  cannot  be  helped ;  it  is  no  fault  of  yours ;  still, 
of  course,  it  is  a  nuisance.  Thank  God  that  no  harm  has 
come  to  you,  that  is  the  principal  thing.  Now,  sit  down  and 
go  on  with  your  pipe,  you  young  monkey.  I  did  not  think 
you  had  taken  to  smoking." 

"  One  has  to,"  the  lad  said,  "  everyone  else  does  it ;  and 
there  is  no  doubt  that,  when  you  have  got  the  middle  watch 
on  cold  nights  with  foul  winds,  it  is  a  comfort." 

"  Well,  go  on  smoking,"  his  brother  said.  "  I  will  light 
up  too.  Now  shut  your  mouth  altogether.  I  want  to  think." 

They  were  silent  for  fully  ten  minutes,  then  Harry  said: 

"I  told  you  about  that  business  of  mine  with  Miss  For- 
tescue." 


8  THE  TKEASUBE  OP  THE  INCAS 

Bertie  grinned  all  over  his  face,  which,  as  he  sat,  was  not 
visible  to  his  brother.  Then  with  preternatural  gravity  he 
turned  towards  him. 

"Yes,  you  told  me  about  it;  an  uncomfortable  business 
wasn't  it? — surly  old  father,  lovely  daughter,  and  so  on." 

"  I  will  pull  your  ear  for  you,  you  young  scamp,"  Harry 
said  wrathfully,  "  if  you  make  fun  of  it ;  and  I  have  a  good 
mind  not  to  say  what  I  was  going  to." 

"  Say  it,  Harry,  don't  mind  my  feelings,"  the  lad  said. 
"  You  can't  say  I  did  not  stand  it  well  when  I  was  here  last 
week,  and  gave  you  no  end  of  sympathy.  Go  ahead,  old 
fellow;  I  dare  say  I  shall  be  taken  bad  some  day,  and  then 
I  shall  be  able  to  make  allowances  for  you." 

"  I'll  have  nothing  more  to  say  to  you,  you  young  imp." 

"Don't  say  that,  Harry,"  the  lad  said  in  a  tone  of  alarm. 
"  You  know  how  sympathizing  I  am,  and  I  know  what  a  com- 
fort it  is  for  you  to  unburden  yourself;  but  I  do  think  that 
it  won't  be  necessary  to  go  into  personal  descriptions,  you 
know,  or  to  tell  me  what  you  said  to  her  or  she  said  to  you, 
because  you  told  me  all  that  ten  days  ago,  also  what  her 
tyrannical  old  father  said.  But  really  seriously  I  am  awfully 
sorry  about  it  all,  and  if  there  is  anything  that  I  can  possibly 
do  for  you  I  shall  be  only  too  pleased.  I  don't  see  that  it 
would  be  any  advantage  for  me  to  go  and  give  the  old  gentle- 
man my  opinion  of  him ;  but  if  you  think  it  would,  and  can 
coach  me  in  some  of  his  sore  points,  we  might  see  how  we 
could  work  upon  them." 

"I  always  thought  you  were  a  young  ass,  Bertie,"  Harry 
said  sternly,  "but  I  have  not  realized  before  how  utterly 
assified  you  are." 

"  All  right,  Harry !  "  the  lad  said  cheerfully ;  "  hit  me  as 
hard  as  you  like,  under  the  circumstances  I  feel  that  I  cannot 
kick." 

Harry  said  nothing  for  another  five  minutes. 

"  This  is  a  serious  matter,"  he  said  at  last,  "  and  I  don't 
want  any  tomfoolery." 


HOW  IT  CAME  ABOUT  9 

"All  right,  Harry!  I  will  be  as  serious  as  a  judge." 

"  I  am  thinking  o.f  going  away  for  two  years." 

The  lad  turned  half  round  in  his  chair  and  had  a  good  look 
at  his  brother. 

"Where  are  you  going  to?"  seeing  by  Harry's  rather 
gloomy  face  that  he  was  quite  in  earnest. 

"  I  believe  I  am  going  to  Peru." 

"  What  are  you  going  there  for,  Harry  ? "  the  lad  said 
quietly. 

"  I  told  you,"  the  other  went  on,  "  that  Mr.  Fortescue  said 
that  he  had  no  personal  objection  to  me,  but  that  if  I  was 
in  a  position  to  give  his  daughter  a  home  equal  to  that  which 
I  wanted  her  to  leave,  he  would  be  content." 

Bertie  nodded. 

"  This  seemed  to  me  hopeless,"  Harry  went  on.  "  I  told 
you  that  she  was  willing  to  wait  for  two  years,  but  that  she 
couldn't  promise  much  longer  than  that,  for  her  father  had 
set  his  mind  on  her  making  a  good  match;  he  has  certainly 
put  a  tremendous  pressure  upon  her.  When  I  was  talking 
at  the  club  this  evening  to  Mr.  Barnett — you  know  that  he 
is  our  oldest  friend  and  is  one  of  our  trustees — I  told  him 
about  it,  and  said  that  though  I  was  ready  to  do  anything 
and  go  anywhere  I  could  not  see  my  way  at  all  to  making 
a  big  fortune  straight  away.  He  agreed  with  me.  After 
talking  it  over  he  said  he  knew  of  but  one  way  by  which  such 
a  thing  would  be  at  all  possible,  but  the  betting  would  be 
twenty  thousand  to  one  against  it.  Of  course  I  said  that  if 
there  was  even  a  possibility  I  would  try  it.  Well,  you  know 
he  was  in  Peru  for  some  years.  He  says  that  the  natives  have 
all  sorts  of  legends  about  rich  mines  that  were  hidden  when 
the  Spaniards  came  first,  and  that  it  is  certain  that,  tremen- 
dous as  was  the  amount  of  loot  they  got,  a  great  part  of  the 
Incas'  treasure  was  hidden  away.  Once  or  twice  there  had 
been  great  finds — in  one  case  two  million  and  a  half  dollars. 
It  is  believed  that  the  secret  is  still  known  to  certain  Indians. 
When  he  went  out  there  he  had  a  muleteer,  whose  life  he 


10  THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  INCAS 

saved  when  he  was  attacked  by  some  beast  or  other,  and  this 
man  as  much  as  hinted  that  he  knew  of  a  place  where  treasure 
might  be  concealed;  but  as  Barnett  was  interested  in  beasts 
and  plants  and  that  sort  of  thing,  and  had  a  comfortable 
fortune,  he  never  troubled  himself  about  it  one  way  or  an- 
other. Well,  he  offered  to  give  me  a  letter  to  this  man,  and 
he  regarded  it  as  just  possible  that  the  fellow,  who  seems  to 
be  a  descendant  of  some  of  the  people  who  were  members  of 
the  Incas'  court  at  the  time  the  Spaniards  came,  may  have 
some  knowledge  of  the  rich  mines  that  were  then  closed  down, 
and  that  he  may  be  able  to  show  them  to  me,  from  his  feeling 
of  gratitude  to  Barnett.  It  is  but  one  chance  in  a  million, 
and  as  I  can  see  no  other  possibility  of  making  a  fortune  in 
two  years,  I  am  going  to  try  it." 

"  Of  course  you  will,"  the  lad  said  excitedly,  "  and  I  should 
think  that  you  would  take  me  with  you." 

"  I  certainly  had  not  dreamt  of  doing  so,  Bertie.  But  if 
I  have  to  keep  on  getting  fresh  outfits  for  you,  the  idea  has 
come  into  my  mind  during  the  last  half-hour  that  I  could 
not  do  better." 

"  Harry,  you  are  sure  to  be  disappointed  lots  of  times  be- 
fore you  hit  on  a  treasure,  and  then  if  you  were  all  by  your- 
self you  would  get  down  in  the  mouth.  Now,  I  should  be 
able  to  keep  you  going,  pat  you  on  the  back  when  you  felt 
sick,  help  you  to  fight  Indians  and  wild  beasts,  and  be  useful 
in  all  sorts  of  ways." 

"  That  is  like  your  impudence,  Bertie,"  the  other  laughed. 
"  Seriously,  I  know  I  shall  be  a  fool  to  take  you,  and  if  I 
really  thought  I  had  any  chance  to  speak  of  I  should  not 
do  so;  but  though  I  am  going  to  try,  I  don't  expect  for  a 
moment  that  I  shall  succeed.  I  feel  that  really  it  would  be 
a  comfort  to  have  someone  with  me  upon  whom  I  could  rely 
in  such  a  life  as  I  should  have  to  lead.  It  certainly  would 
be  lonely  work  for  one  man.  The  only  doubt  in  my  mind  is 
whether  it  will  be  fair  to  you — you  have  got  your  profes- 
sion." 


HOW  IT  CAME  ABOUT  11 

"  But  I  can  go  back  to  it  if  nothing  good  turns  up,  Harry. 
I  can  visit  the  firm  and  tell  them  that  I  am  going  to  travel 
with  you  for  a  bit,  and  hope  that  on  my  return  they  will  take 
me  back  again  and  let  me  finish  my  apprenticeship.  I  should 
think  they  would  be  rather  glad,  for  they  always  build 
and  never  buy  ships,  and  it  will  take  them  six  months  to 
replace  the  Stella.  Besides,  it  will  do  me  a  lot  of  good.  I 
shall  pick  up  Spanish — at  least,  I  suppose  that  is  the  language 
they  speak  out  there — and  shall  learn  no  end  of  things.  As 
you  know,  we  trade  with  the  west  coast  of  America,  so  I 
should  be  a  lot  more  useful  to  the  firm  when  I  come  back 
than  I  am  now." 

"  Well,  I  will  think  it  over,  and  let  you  know  in  the  morn- 
ing. I  must  certainly  consult  Mr.  Barnett,  for  he  is  your 
trustee  as  well  as  mine.  If  we  go  I  shall  work  my  way  out. 
It  will  be  a  big  expense,  anyhow,  and  I  don't  mean,  if  possi- 
ble, to  draw  upon  my  capital  beyond  three  or  four  hundred 
pounds.  I  believe  living  is  cheap  out  there,  and  if  I  buy 
three  or  four  mules  I  shall  then  have  to  pay  only  the  wages 
for  the  muleteers,  and  the  expenses  of  living.  Of  course  I 
shall  arrange  for  my  income  and  half -pay  to  be  sent  out  to 
some  firm  at  Lima.  Now,  you  had  better  go  off  to  bed,  and 
don't  buoy  yourself  up  with  the  belief  that  you  are  going, 
for  I  have  by  no  means  decided  upon  taking  you  yet." 

"  You  will  decide  to  take  me,  Harry,"  the  lad  said  confi- 
dently, and  then  added  with  a  laugh :  "  the  fact  that  you 
should  have  adopted  a  plan  like  this  is  quite  sufficient  to 
show  that  you  want  somebody  to  look  after  you." 

Harry  Prendergast  did  not  get  much  sleep  that  night.  He 
blamed  himself  for  having  mentioned  the  matter  at  all  to 
Bertie,  and  yet  the  more  he  thought  over  it  the  more  he  felt 
that  it  would  be  very  pleasant  to  have  his  brother  with  him. 
The  lad  was  full  of  fun  and  mischief,  but  he  knew  that  he 
had  plenty  of  sound  sense,  and  would  be  a  capital  compan- 
ion, and  the  fact  that  he  had  been  three  years  at  sea,  and  was 
accustomed  to  turn  his  hand  to  anything,  was  all  in  his 


12  THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  INC  AS 

favour.  If  nothing  came  of  it  he  would  only  have  lost  a 
couple  of  years,  and,  as  the  boy  himself  had  said,  the  time 
would  not  have  been  altogether  wasted.  Bertie  was  down 
before  him  in  the  morning.  He  looked  anxiously  at  his 
brother  as  he  came  in. 

"Well,  Harry?" 

"  Well,  I  have  thought  it  over  in  every  light.  But  in  the 
first  place,  Bertie,  if  you  go  with  me  you  will  have  to  remem- 
ber that  I  am  your  commanding  officer.  I  am  ten  years  older 
than  you,  and  besides  I  am  a  lieutenant  in  the  King's  Navy, 
while  you  are  only  a  midshipman  in  the  merchant  service. 
Now,  I  shall  expect  as  ready  obedience  from  you  as  if  I  were 
captain  of  my  own  ship  and  you  one  of  my  men ;  that  is  abso- 
lutely essential." 

"  Of  course,  Harry,  it  could  not  be  otherwise." 

"  Very  well,  then ;  in  the  next  place  I  shall  abide  by  what 
Mr.  Barnett  says.  He  is  your  guardian  as  well  as  trustee, 
and  has  a  perfect  right  to  put  a  veto  upon  any  wild  expedi- 
tion of  this  sort.  Lastly,  I  should  hope,  although  I  don't 
say  that  this  is  absolutely  necessary,  that  you  may  get  your 
employer's  promise  to  take  you  back  again  in  order  that  you 
may  complete  your  time." 

"  Thank  you  very  much,  Harry ! "  the  lad  said  gratefully. 
"  The  first  condition  you  may  rely  upon  being  performed, 
and  I  think  the  third  will  be  all  right,  for  I  know  that  I 
have  always  been  favourably  reported  upon.  Old  Prosser 
told  me  so  himself  when  he  said  that  I  should  have  a  rise  in 
my  Pay  this  voyage.  As  to  Mr.  Barnett,  of  course  I  can't 
say,  but  I  should  think,  as  it  was  he  who  put  you  up  to  this, 
he  must  see  that  it  would  be  good  for  you  to  have  someone 
to  take  care  of  you." 

"  I  think  he  is  much  more  likely  to  say  that  I  shall  have 
quite  enough  to  do  to  take  care  of  myself,  without  having 
the  bother  of  looking  after  you.  However,  I  will  go  and 
see  him  this  morning.  You  had  better  call  upon  your  em- 
ployers." 


HOW  IT  CAME  ABOUT  13 

"Don't  you  think  I  had  better  go  to  Mr.  Barnett  with 
you,  Harry  ? " 

"Not  as  you  are  now  anyhow,  Bertie.  Your  appearance 
is  positively  disgraceful.  You  evidently  had  on  your  worst 
suit  of  clothes  when  you  were  wrecked,  and  I  can  see  that 
they  have  not  been  improved  by  the  experience.  Why,  there 
is  a  split  right  down  one  sleeve,  and  a  big  rent  in  your 
trousers !  " 

"  I  got  them  climbing  on  board,  for  I  had  no  time  to  pick 
and  choose,  with  the  Stella  sinking  under  my  feet." 

"  Well,  you  may  as  well  go  as  you  are,  but  you  had  better 
borrow  a  needle  and  thread  from  the  landlady  and  mend  up 
the  holes.  You  really  cannot  walk  through  the  city  in  that 
state.  I  will  see  about  getting  you  some  more  clothes  when 
we  get  back,  for  I  cannot  have  you  coming  here  in  these  in 
broad  daylight.  Here  are  three  guineas ;  get  yourself  a  suit 
of  pilot  cloth  at  some  outfitter's  at  the  East  End.  It  will  be 
useful  to  you  anyhow,  whether  you  go  with  me  or  ship  again 
here." 

"  There  is  a  good  deal  in  what  you  say,  Harry,"  Mr.  Bar- 
nett said  when  Prendergast  asked  his  opinion  as  to  his  taking 
his  brother  with  him.  "  Two  years  would  not  make  any 
material  difference  in  his  career  as  a  sailor;  it  simply  means 
that  he  will  be  so  much  older  when  he  passes  as  mate.  There 
is  no  harm  in  that.  Two  or  three  and  twenty  is  quite  young 
enough  for  a  young  fellow  to  become  an  officer,  and  I  don't 
think  that  many  captains  care  about  having  lads  who  have 
just  got  their  certificate.  They  have  not  the  same  sense  of 
responsibility  or  the  same  power  of  managing.  Then,  too, 
Bertie  will  certainly  have  a  good  deal  of  knocking  about  if 
he  spends  a  couple  of  years  in  South  America,  and  the  knowl- 
edge he  will  gain  of  Spanish  will  add  to  his  value  with  any 
firm  trading  on  that  coast.  As  far  as  you  are  concerned,  I 
think  it  would  be  a  great  advantage  to  have  him  with  you. 
In  a  long  expedition,  such  as  you  propose,  it  is  a  gain  to  have 
a  companion  with  you.  It  makes  the  work  more  pleasant, 


14  THE  TREASURE  OP  THE  INCAS 

and  two  men  can  laugh  over  hardships  and  disagreeables  that 
one  alone  would  grumble  at;  but  apart  from  this,  it  is  very 
important  in  case  of  illness. 

"A  lonely  man  laid  up  with  fever,  or  accidental  injury, 
fares  badly  indeed  if  he  is  at  a  distance  from  any  town  where 
he  can  obtain  medical  attendance,  and  surrounded  only  by 
ignorant  natives.  I  was  myself  at  one  time  down  with  fever 
for  six  weeks  in  a  native  hut,  and  during  that  time  I  would 
have  given  pretty  nearly  all  that  I  was  worth  for  the  sight 
of  a  white  face  and  the  sound  of  an  English  voice.  As  to 
the  fact  that  it  is  possible  that  the  lad  might  catch  fever,  or 
be  killed  in  an  affray  with  natives,  that  must,  of  course,  be 
faced;  but  as  a  sailor  he  runs  the  risk  of  shipwreck,  or  of 
being  washed  overboard,  or  killed  by  a  falling  spar.  Every- 
thing considered,  I  think  the  idea  of  his  going  with  you  is 
a  good  one.  I  don't  suppose  that  many  guardians  would  be 
of  the  same  opinion,  but  I  have  been  so  many  years  knocking 
about  in  one  part  of  the  world  or  another,  that  I  don't  look 
at  things  in  the  same  light  as  men  who  have  never  been  out 
of  England." 

"I  am  glad  you  see  it  in  that  way,  Sir.  I  own  that  it 
would  be  a  great  satisfaction  to  have  him  with  me.  He  cer- 
tainly would  be  a  cheery  companion,  and  I  should  say  that 
he  is  as  hard  as  nails,  and  can  stand  as  much  fatigue  and 
hardship  as  myself.  Besides,  there  is  no  doubt  that  in  case 
of  any  trouble  two  men  are  better  than  one." 

"  I  cannot  advance  any  money  out  of  the  thousand  pounds 
that  will  come  to  him  when  he  is  of  age.  By  your  father's 
will  it  was  ordered  that,  in  the  event  of  his  own  death  before 
that  time,  the  interest  was  to  accumulate.  Your  father  fore- 
saw that,  like  you,  probably  Bertie  would  take  to  the  sea, 
and  as  the  amount  would  be  fully  two  thousand  pounds  by 
the  time  he  comes  of  age,  it  would  enable  him  to  buy  a  share 
in  any  ship  that  he  might,  when  he  passed  his  last  examina- 
tion, command;  but  I  will  myself  draw  a  cheque  for  a  hun- 
dred pounds,  which  will  help  towards  meeting  expenses.  I 


HOW  IT  CAME   ABOUT  15 

feel  myself  to  some  extent  responsible  for  this  expedition. 
I  somewhat  regret  now  having  ever  spoken  to  you  on  the 
subject,  for  I  cannot  conceal  from  myself  that  the  chance  of 
your  making  a  discovery,  where  the  Spaniards,  with  all  their 
power  of  putting  pressure  on  the  natives  for  the  past  two 
or  three  hundred  years,  have  failed,  is  so  slight  as  to  be 
scarcely  worth  consideration. 

"  I  tell  you  frankly  that  I  broached  the  subject  chiefly 
because  I  thought  it  was  much  better  for  you  to  be  doing 
something  than  kicking  your  heels  about  London,  and  moon- 
ing over  this  affair  with  Miss  Fortescue.  There  is  nothing 
worse  for  a  young  man  than  living  in  London  with  just 
enough  to  keep  him  comfortably  without  the  necessity  of 
working.  Therefore  I  thought  you  would  be  far  better  trav- 
elling and  hunting  for  treasure  in  Peru,  than  staying  here. 
Even  if  you  fail,  as  I  feel  is  almost  certain,  in  the  object  for 
which  you  go  out,  you  will  have  plenty  to  occupy  your 
thoughts,  and  not  be  dwelling  continually  upon  an  attach- 
ment which  in  all  probability  will  not  turn  out  satisfactorily. 
I  do  not  suppose  that  you  are  likely  to  forget  Miss  Fortescue, 
but  by  the  time  you  return  you  will  have  accustomed  yourself 
to  the  thought  that  it  is  useless  to  cry  for  the  moon,  and 
that,  after  all,  life  may  be  very  endurable  even  if  she  does 
not  share  it.  Therefore  I  propounded  this  Peruvian  advent- 
ure, feeling  sure  that,  whatever  came  of  it,  it  would  be  a 
benefit  to  you." 

"  No  doubt  it  will,  sir.  I  see  myself  the  chance  of  success 
is  small  indeed,  but  there  is  none  at  all  in  any  other  way. 
It  is  just  the  sort  of  thing  I  should  like,  and  I  quite  feel  my- 
self that  it  would  be  good  for  me  to  have  plenty  to  think 
about ;  and  now  that  you  have  consented  to  Bertie's  going 
with  me,  I  feel  more  eager  than  before  to  undertake  the  ex- 
pedition. The  place  is  in  rather  a  disturbed  state,  isn't  it?" 

"  If  you  are  going  to  wait  until  Peru  ceases  to  be  in  a 
disturbed  state,  Harry,  you  may  wait  another  hundred  years. 
The  Spanish  rule  was  bad,  but  Peru  was  then  a  pleasant  place 


16  THE  TBEASURE  OF  THE  INCAS 

to  live  in  compared  with  what  it  is  now.  It  is  a  sort  of  cock- 
pit, where  a  succession  of  ambitious  rascals  struggle  for  the 
spoils,  and  the  moment  one  gets  the  better  of  his  rivals  fresh 
intrigues  are  set  on  foot,  and  fresh  rebellions  break  out. 
There  are  good  Peruvians — men  who  have  estates  and  live 
upon  them,  and  who  are  good  masters.  But  as  to  the  politi- 
cians, there  is  no  principle  whatever  at  stake.  It  is  simply 
a  question  of  who  shall  have  the  handling  of  the  national 
revenue,  and  divide  it  and  the  innumerable  posts  among  his 
adherents.  But  these  struggles  will  not  affect  you  largely. 
In  one  respect  they  will  even  be  an  advantage.  Bent  upon 
their  own  factious  aims,  the  combatants  have  no  time  to  con- 
cern themselves  with  the  doings  of  an  English  traveller,  whose 
object  out  there  is  ostensibly  to  botanize  and  shoot.  Were 
one  of  them  to  obtain  the  undisputed  control  of  affairs  he 
might  meddle  in  all  sorts  of  ways;  but,  as  it  is,  after  you 
have  once  got  pretty  well  beyond  the  area  of  their  operations, 
you  can  regard  their  doings  with  indifference,  knowing  that 
the  longer  they  go  on  fighting  the  fewer  scoundrels  there  will 
be  in  the  land. 

"  But  even  were  they  to  think  that  it  was  mining,  and  not 
science  or  sport  that  took  you  out  there,  they  would  scarcely 
interfere  with  you.  It  is  admitted  by  all  the  factions  that 
Peru  needs  capital  for  her  development,  and  at  present  that 
can  best  be  got  from  this  country.  The  discovery  of  a  fresh 
mine  means  employment  to  a  large  number  of  people,  and  the 
increase  of  the  revenues  by  a  royalty  or  taxation.  English 
explorers  who  have  gone  out  have  never  had  any  reason  to 
complain  of  interference  on  the  part  of  the  authorities.  You 
will  find  the  average  better  class  of  Peruvians  a  charming 
people,  and  extremely  hospitable.  The  ladies  are  pretty 
enough  to  turn  the  head  of  anyone  whose  affections  are  not 
already  engaged.  The  men  are  kindly  and  courteous  in  the 
extreme.  However,  you  would  have  little  to  do  with  these. 

"  In  the  mountains  you  would  largely  depend  upon  your 
rifle  for  food,  and  on  what  you  could  get  in  the  scattered 


HOW  IT  CAME  ABOUT  17 

native  villages.  The  Indians  have  no  love  for  the  Peruvians. 
They  find  their  condition  no  better  off  under  them  than  it 
was  under  the  Spaniards.  Once  they  find  out  that  you  are 
English  they  will  do  all  in  their  power  for  you.  It  is  to 
Cochrane  and  the  English  officers  with  him  that  they  owe  the 
overthrow  and  expulsion  of  their  Spanish  tyrants,  and  they 
are  vastly  more  grateful  than  either  the  Chilians  or  Peru- 
vians have  shown  themselves  to  be." 

On  returning  to  their  lodgings  Harry  met  his  brother,  who 
had  been  into  the  city. 

"  Old  Prosser  was  very  civil,"  said  Bertie.  "  He  said  that 
as  their  ships  were  chiefly  in  the  South  American  trade  it 
would  be  a  great  advantage  for  me  to  learn  to  speak  Spanish 
well.  They  had  not  yet  thought  anything  about  whether 
they  should  order  another  ship  to  replace  the  Stella;  at  any 
rate,  at  present  they  had  no  vacancy,  and  would  gladly  give 
me  permission  to  travel  in  South  America,  and  would  find 
me  a  berth  to  finish  my  apprenticeship  when  I  returned. 
More  than  that,  they  said  that  as  I  had  always  been  so  favour- 
ably reported  upon  they  would  put  me  on  as  a  supernumerary 
in  the  Para,  which  will  sail  in  a  fortnight  for  Callao.  I 
should  not  draw  pay,  but  I  should  be  in  their  service,  and  the 
time  would  count,  which  would  be  a  great  pull,  and  I  should 
get  my  passage  for  nothing." 

"  That  is  capital.  Of  course  I  will  take  a  passage  in  her 
too." 

"  And  what  does  Mr.  Barnett  say  ? " 

"  Rather  to  my  surprise,  Bertie,  he  did  not  disapprove  of 
the  plan  at  all.  He  thought  it  would  be  a  good  thing  for 
me  to  have  you  with  me  in  case  of  illness  or  anything  of  that 
sort.  Then  no  doubt  he  thought  to  some  extent  it  would 
keep  you  out  of  mischief." 

"I  don't  believe  he  thought  anything  of  the  sort.  Did 
he  say  so?" 

"Well,  no,  he  didn't;  but  I  have  no  doubt  he  felt  it  in 
some  way  a  sort  of  relief." 


18  THE  TBEASUEE  OF  THE  INCAS 

"  That  is  all  very  fine.  I  know,  when  I  have  been  down 
to  his  place  in  the  country  between  voyages,  I  have  always 
been  as  well  behaved  as  if  I  had  been  a  model  mid." 

"  Well,  I  have  heard  some  tales  of  your  doings,  Bertie,  that 
didn't  seem  quite  in  accord  with  the  character  you  give  your- 
self." 

"  Oh,  of  course  I  had  a  few  larks !  You  cannot  expect  a 
fellow  who  has  been  away  from  England  for  a  year  to  walk 
about  as  soberly  as  if  he  were  a  Methodist  parson ! " 

"  No,  I  should  not  expect  that,  Bertie.  But,  on  the  other 
hand,  I  should  hardly  have  expected  that  he  would,  for  ex- 
ample, risk  breaking  his  neck  by  climbing  up  to  the  top  of 
the  steeple  and  fastening  a  straw-hat  on  the  head  of  the 
weathercock." 

"It  gave  it  a  very  ornamental  appearance;  and  that 
weathercock  was  never  before  watched  so  regularly  by  the 
people  of  the  village  as  it  was  from  that  time  till  the  hat  was 
blown  away  in  a  gale." 

"  That  I  can  quite  believe.  Still,  Mr.  Barnett  told  me 
that  the  rector  lodged  a  complaint  about  it." 

"  He  might  complain  as  much  as  he  liked ;  there  is  no  law 
in  the  land,  as  far  as  I  know,  that  makes  the  fixing  of  a  straw- 
hat  upon  a  weathercock  a  penal  offence.  It  did  no  end  of 
good  in  the  village,  gave  them  something  to  talk  about,  and 
woke  them  up  wonderfully." 

"  And  there  were  other  things  too,  I  think,"  his  brother 
went  on. 

"  Oh,  well,  you  need  not  go  into  them  now !  they  are  an 
old  story.  Besides,  I  fancy  I  have  heard  of  various  tricks 
played  by  Mr.  Midshipman  Harry  Prendergast,  and,  as  I 
heard  them  from  your  lips,  I  cannot  doubt  but  that  they 
were  strictly  veracious.  Well,  this  is  jolly  now.  When  are 
we  going  to  begin  to  get  our  outfit  ? " 

"We  will  lose  no  time  about  that.  But  really  there  is 
not  much  to  get — a  couple  of  good  rifles  and  two  brace  of 
pistols,  with  a  good  store  of  ammunition,  those  clothes  you 


THE   START  19 

have  just  bought,  and  two  or  three  suits  of  duck  for  the 
voyage.  I  sha'n't  get  any  special  kit  until  we  arrive  there, 
and  can  take  the  advice  of  people  at  Lima  whether  we  had 
better  travel  in  European  clothes  or  in  those  worn  by  the 
Peruvians.  Of  course  saddles  and  bridles  and  all  that  sort 
of  thing  we  can  buy  there,  and  we  shall  want  a  small  tent  to 
use  when  we  get  into  out-of-the-way  places.  I  shall  take 
three  hundred  pounds  in  gold.  I  have  no  doubt  we  can  ex- 
change it  into  silver  profitably;  besides,  it  is  much  more 
handy  for  carrying  about.  I  shall  go  down  this  afternoon 
and  see  Prosser  and  secure  a  berth." 

"I  think  you  will  have  to  arrange  that  with  the  captain. 
Very  few  of  our  ships  have  accommodation  for  passengers, 
but  the  captains  are  allowed  to  take  one  or  two  if  they  like." 

"  All  right !  At  any  rate  I  must  go  to  the  office  first. 
They  can  refer  me  to  the  skipper  if  they  like;  that  would 
be  better  than  my  going  to  him  direct." 


CHAPTER  II 

THB   START 

HARRY  PRENDERGAST  went  down  to  Leadenhall 
Street  and  saw  the  managing  owner  of  the  Para.  As 
Bertie  had  anticipated,  Mr.  Prosser,  after  hearing  Harry's 
statement  that  he  wished  to  take  a  passage  to  Callao  in  the 
vessel  advertised  to  start  in  a  week's  time,  and  that  he  was 
much  obliged  to  them  for  giving  Bertie  a  berth  as  super- 
numerary midshipman,  said : 

"  We  shall  certainly  have  pleasure  in  putting  your  brother's 
name  on  the  ship's  books.  He  has  already  explained  to  me 
his  desire  to  go  out  with  you;  we  have  had  every  reason  to 
be  satisfied  with  him  since  he  entered  our  service,  and  he 
had  better  draw  pay  as  usual,  as  his  service  during  the  voy- 
age will  then  count  towards  his  time.  As  for  yourself,  we 


20  THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  INCAS 

do  not  book  passengers,  it  is  more  bother  than  it  is  worth; 
but  we  have  no  objection  to  our  masters  taking  one  or  two. 
The  addition  of  a  mouth  or  so  practically  makes  very  little 
difference  in  the  amount  of  ships'  stores  consumed.  The  mas- 
ters pay  us  a  small  sum  a  head  and  make  their  own  terms  with 
the  passengers  they  take.  In  that  way  we  are  saved  all  com- 
plaints as  to  food  and  other  matters.  Of  course  a  passenger 
would  put  on  board  for  himself  a  stock  of  such  wines,  spirits, 
and  little  luxuries  as  he  may  choose. 

"You  will  find  Captain  Peters  down  at  the  docks.  The 
last  cargo  has  been  discharged,  and  they  are  giving  an  over- 
haul to  the  rigging  and  making  a  few  repairs;  he  is  not  a 
man  to  leave  his  ship  if  he  can  help  it  while  work  is  going 
on  there." 

Harry  at  once  went  down. 

"Well,  sir,"  the  captain  said,  when  he  had  told  him  that 
he  wished  to  take  a  passage  to  Callao,  and  that  the  owners 
had  referred  him  to  him,  "  I  had  fully  made  up  my  mind 
that  I  would  not  take  passengers  again.  On  my  last  voy- 
age they  were  always  grumbling  at  the  food,  expecting  to 
be  treated  as  if  they  were  in  a  first-class  hotel." 

"I  am  not  likely  to  grumble,  Captain;  I  have  been 
knocking  about  the  King's  service  since  I  was  fourteen." 

"  Oh,  you  are  a  royal  navy  man,  are  you,  sir  ? " 

"I  am;  I  am  a  lieutenant." 

"  That  makes  a  difference ;  and  I  have  no  doubt  we  can 
arrange  the  matter  to  our  satisfaction." 

"  I  may  tell  you,"  Harry  said,  "  that  I  have  a  younger 
brother  coming  out  with  me.  He  is  an  apprentice  nearly 
out  of  his  time,  and  was  on  board  the  Stella  when  she  was 
sunk  in  the  Channel.  Your  owners  have  kindly  arranged 
that  he  shall  go  out  with  you  as  a  supernumerary ;  that  is  one 
reason  why  I  wish  to  go  in  your  ship." 

The  Master  thought  for  a  minute  or  two.  "  Well,  Mr. 
Prendergast,"  he  said,  "  I  like  having  one  of  you  naval  gen- 
tlemen on  board;  if  anything  goes  wrong  it  is  a  comfort  to 


THE  START  21 

have  your  advice.  If  we  have  bad  weather  round  the  Horn, 
could  I  rely  upon  you  to  give  me  a  helping  hand  should  I 
need  it?  I  don't  mean  that  you  should  keep  watch  or  any- 
thing of  that  sort,  but  that  you  should,  as  it  were,  stand  by 
me.  I  have  a  new  first  mate,  and  there  is  no  saying  how  he 
may  turn  out.  No  doubt  the  firm  would  make  every  enquiry. 
Still,  such  enquiries  don't  mean  much;  a  master  doesn't 
like  to  damn  a  man  by  refusing  to  give  him  a  good  char- 
acter. I  dare  say  he  is  all  right.  Still,  I  should  cer- 
tainly feel  very  much  more  comfortable  if  I  had  a  naval 
officer  with  me.  Now,  sir,  I  pay  the  firm  twelve  pounds  for 
each  passenger  I  take  as  his  share  of  the  cabin  stores;  you 
pay  me  that,  and  I  will  ask  for  nothing  for  your  passage.  I 
cannot  say  fairer  than  that." 

"  You  cannot  indeed,  Captain,  and  I  feel  very  much  obliged 
to  you  for  the  offer — very  much  obliged.  It  will  suit  me 
admirably,  and  in  case  of  any  emergency  you  may  rely  upon 
my  aid;  and  if  you  have  a  spell  of  bad  weather  I  shall  be 
quite  willing  to  take  a  watch,  for  I  know  that  in  the  long 
heavy  gales  you  meet  with  going  round  the  Horn  the  officers 
get  terribly  overtaxed." 

"  And  how  about  your  brother  ?  "  the  captain  said ;  "  as  he 
is  to  be  a  supernumerary,  I  suppose  that  only  means  that  the 
firm  are  willing  that  he  shall  put  in  his  time  for  his  rating. 
I  have  never  had  a  supernumerary  on  board,  but  I  suppose 
he  is  to  be  regarded  as  a  passenger  rather  than  one  of  the 
ship's  complement." 

"No,  Captain,  he  is  to  be  on  the  pay-sheet;  and  I  think 
he  had  much  better  be  put  into  a  watch.  He  would  find  the 
time  hang  very  heavy  on  his  hands  if  he  had  nothing  to  do, 
and  I  know  he  is  anxious  to  learn  his  profession  thoroughly. 
As  he  is  to  be  paid,  there  is  no  reason  why  he  should  not 
work." 

"  Very  well ;  if  you  think  so  we  will  say  nothing  more 
about  it.  I  thought  perhaps  you  would  like  to  have  him  aft 
with  you." 


22  THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  INCAS 

"  I  am  much  obliged  to  you,  but  I  think  the  other  way  will 
be  best ;  and  I  am  sure  he  would  feel  more  comfortable  with 
the  other  apprentices  than  as  a  passenger." 

"  Are  you  going  out  for  long,  may  I  ask  you,  Mr.  Pren- 
dergast  ? " 

"  For  a  couple  of  years  or  so.  I  am  going  to  wander  about 
and  do  some  shooting  and  exploring  and  that  sort  of  thing, 
and  I  am  taking  him  with  me  as  companion.  I  speak  Span- 
ish fairly  well  myself,  and  shall  teach  him  on  the  voyage,  if 
you  will  allow  me  to  do  so.  A  knowledge  of  that  language 
will  be  an  advantage  to  him  when  he  comes  back  into  Prosser 
&  Co.'s  service." 

"  A  great  advantage,"  the  captain  agreed.  "  Most  of  us 
speak  a  little  Spanish,  but  I  have  often  thought  that  it 
would  pay  the  company  to  send  a  man  who  could  talk  the 
lingo  well  in  each  ship.  They  could  call  him  supercargo, 
and  I  am  sure  he  would  pay  his  wages  three  or  four  times 
over  by  being  able  to  bargain  and  arrange  with  the  Chilians 
and  Peruvians.  In  ports  like  Callao,  where  there  is  a  British 
consul,  things  are  all  right,  but  in  the  little  ports  we  are 
fleeced  right  and  left.  Boatmen  and  shopkeepers  charge  us 
two  or  three  times  as  much  as  they  do  their  own  countrymen, 
and  I  am  sure  that  we  could  get  better  bargains  in  hides  and 
other  produce  if  we  had  someone  who  could  knock  down  their 
prices." 

"  When  do  you  sail,  Captain  ?  " 

"This  day  week.'  It  will  be  high  tide  about  eight,  and 
we  shall  start  to  warp  out  of  dock  a  good  half-hour  earlier, 
so  you  can  either  come  on  board  the  night  before  or  about 
seven  in  the  morning." 

"Very  well,  sir;  we  shall  be  here  in  good  time.  I  shall 
bring  my  things  on  board  with  me;  it  is  of  no  use  sending 
them  on  before,  as  they  will  not  be  bulky  and  can  be  stored 
away  in  my  cabin." 

"  This  will  be  your  state-room,"  the  captain  said,  opening 
a  door.  "  I  have  the  one  aft,  and  the  first  mate  has  the  one 


THE   START  23 

opposite  to  you.  The  others  are  empty,  so  you  can  stow  any 
baggage  that  you  have  in  one  of  them;  the  second  and  third 
officers  and  the  apprentices  are  in  the  deck-house  cabins." 

"In  that  case,  Captain,  I  will  send  the  wine  and  spirits 
on  board  the  day  before.  Of  course  I  shall  get  them  out  of 
bond;  I  might  have  difficulty  in  doing  that  so  early  in  the 
morning.  You  will  perhaps  be  good  enough  to  order  them 
to  be  stowed  in  one  of  the  empty  cabins." 

"  That  will  be  the  best  plan,"  the  captain  said. 

"  When  do  the  apprentices  come  on  board  ? " 

"  The  morning  before  we  sail.  There  is  always  plenty  to 
be  done  in  getting  the  last  stores  on  board." 

"All  right!  my  brother  will  be  here.  Good-morning, 
Captain,  and  thank  you !  " 

The  following  morning  at  eleven  Harry  Prendergast  was 
standing  in  front  of  the  entrance  to  the  British  Museum. 
A  young  lady  came  up.  "  It  is  very  imprudent  of  you, 
Harry,"  she  said,  after  the  first  greeting,  "  to  ask  me  to  meet 
you." 

"I  could  not  help  it,  dear;  it  was  absolutely  necessary 
that  I  should  see  you." 

"But  it  is  of  no  use,  Harry." 

"  I  consider  that  it  is  of  particular  use,  Hilda." 

"  But  you  know,  Harry,  when  you  had  that  very  unpleas- 
ant talk  with  my  father,  I  was  called  in,  and  said  that  I 
had  promised  to  wait  two  years  for  you.  When  he  found 
that  I  would  not  give  way,  he  promised  that  he  would  not 
press  me,  on  the  understanding  that  we  were  not  to  meet 
again  except  in  public,  and  I  all  but  promised." 

"  Quite  so,  dear ;  but  it  appears  to  me  that  this  is  surely 
a  public  place." 

"  No,  no,  Harry ;  what  he  meant  was  that  I  was  not  to 
meet  you  except  at  parties." 

"  Well,  I  should  have  asked  you  to  meet  me  to-day  even 
if  I  had  had  to  storm  your  father's  house  to  see  you.  I  am 
going  away,  dear,  and  he  could  scarcely  say  much  if  he  came 


24r  THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  INCAS 

along  and  found  us  talking  here.  You  see,  it  was  not  likely 
that  I  should  stumble  across  a  fortune  in  the  streets  of  Lon- 
don. I  have  talked  the  matter  over  with  Barnett — you  know 
our  trustee,  you  have  met  him  once  or  twice — and  we  came 
to  the  conclusion  that  the  only  possible  chance  of  my  being 
able  to  satisfy  your  father  as  to  my  means,  was  for  me  to  go 
to  Peru  and  try  to  discover  a  gold  mine  there  or  hidden  treas- 
ure. Such  discoveries  have  been  made,  and  may  be  made 
again;  and  he  has  supplied  me  with  a  letter  to  an  Indian, 
who  may  possibly  be  able  to  help  me." 

"  To  Peru,  Harry !     Why,  they  are  always  fighting  there." 

"  Yes,  they  do  a  good  deal  of  squabbling,  but  the  people 
in  general  have  little  to  do  with  it;  and  certainly  I  am  not 
going  out  to  take  any  part  in  their  revolutions.  There  is 
not  a  shadow  of  doubt  that  a  number  of  gold  mines  worked 
by  the  old  people  were  never  discovered  by  the  Spaniards, 
and  it  is  also  certain  that  a  great  portion  of  the  treasures 
of  the  Incas  is  still  lying  hid.  Barnett  saved  the  life  of  a 
muleteer  out  there,  and  from  what  he  said  he  believed  that 
the  man  did  know  something  about  one  of  these  lost  mines, 
and  might  possibly  let  me  into  the  secret.  It  is  just  an  off 
chance,  but  it  is  the  only  chance  I  can  see.  You  promised 
your  father  that  you  would  never  marry  without  his  consent, 
and  he  would  never  give  it  unless  I  were  a  rich  man.  If  noth- 
ing comes  of  this  adventure  I  shall  be  no  worse  off  than  I 
am  at  present.  If  I  am  fortunate  enough  to  discover  a  rich 
mine  or  a  hidden  treasure,  I  shall  be  in  a  position  to  satisfy 
his  demand.  I  am  going  to  take  Bertie  with  me ;  he  will  be 
a  cheerful  companion,  and  even  now  he  is  a  powerful  young 
fellow.  At  any  rate,  if  I  get  sick  or  anything  of  that  sort, 
it  would  be  an  immense  advantage  to  have  him  with  me." 

"  I  don't  like  the  idea  of  your  going,  Harry,"  she  said  tear- 
fully. 

"No,  dear;  and  if  I  had  the  chance  of  seeing  you  some- 
times, and  of  some  day  obtaining  your  father's  consent  to 
the  marriage,  all  the  gold  mines  in  Peru  would  offer  no  temp- 


THE   STAET  25 

tation  to  me.  A  j  it  is,  I  can  see  nothing  else  for  it.  In 
some  respects  it  i?  better;  if  I  were  to  stay  here  I  should 
only  be  meeting  you  frequently  at  dances  and  dinners,  never 
able  to  talk  to  you  privately,  and  feeling  always  that  you 
could  never  be  mine.  It  would  be  a  constant  torture.  Here 
is  a  possibility — a  very  remote  one,  I  admit,  but  still  a  possi- 
bility— and  even  if  it  fails  I  shall  have  the  satisfaction  of 
knowing  that  I  have  done  all  that  a  man  could  do  to  win 
you." 

"  I  think  it  is  best  that  you  should  go  somewhere,  Harry, 
but  Peru  seems  to  be  a  horrible  place." 

"  Barnett  speaks  of  it  in  high  terms.  You  know  he  was 
four  or  five  years  out  there.  He  describes  the  people  as  be- 
ing delightful,  and  he  has  nothing  to  say  against  the  cli- 
mate." 

"  I  will  not  try  to  dissuade  you,"  she  said  bravely  after  a 
pause.  "  At  present  I  am  hopeless,  but  I  shall  have  some- 
thing to  hope  and  pray  for  while  you  are  away.  We  will  say 
good-bye  now,  dear.  I  have  come  to  meet  you  this  once,  but 
I  will  not  do  so  again,  another  jieeting  would  but  give  us 
fresh  pain.  I  am  very  glad  to  know  that  your  brother  is 
going  with  you.  I  shall  not  have  to  imagine  that  you  are  ill 
in  some  out-of-the-way  place  without  a  friend  near  you ;  and 
in  spite  of  the  dangers  you  may  have  to  run,  I  would  rather 
think  of  you  as  bravely  doing  your  best  than  eating  your 
heart  out  here  in  London.  I  shall  not  tell  my  father  that 
we  have  met  here ;  you  had  better  write  to  him  and  say  that 
you  are  leaving  London  at  once,  and  that  you  hope  in  two 
years  to  return  and  claim  me  in  accordance  with  his  promise. 
I  am  sure  he  will  be  glad  to  know  that  you  have  gone,  and 
that  we  shall  not  be  constantly  meeting.  He  will  be  kinder 
to  me  than  he  has  been  of  late,  for  as  he  will  think  it  quite 
impossible  that  you  can  make  a  fortune  in  two  years  he  will 
be  inclined  to  dismiss  you  altogether  from  his  mind." 

For  another  half -hour  they  talked  together,  and  then  they 
parted  with  renewed  protestations  on  her  part  that  nothing 


26  THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  INOAS 

should  induce  her  to  break  her  promise  to  wait  for  him  for 
two  years.  He  had  given  her  the  address  <<f  one  of  the  mer- 
chants to  whom  Mr.  Barnett  had  promised  him  a  letter  of 
introduction,  so  that  she  might  from  time  to  time  write,  for 
the  voyage  would  take  at  least  four  months  and  as  much 
more  would  be  required  for  his  first  letter  to  come  back.  He 
walked  moodily  home  after  parting  with  her. 

"  Hullo,  Harry !  nothing  wrong  with  you,  I  hope  ?  why, 
you  look  as  grave  as  an  owl." 

"  I  feel  grave,  Bertie.  I  have  just  said  good-bye  to  Hilda ; 
and  though  I  kept  up  my  spirits  and  made  the  best  of  this 
expedition  of  ours,  I  cannot  but  feel  how  improbable  it  is 
that  we  shall  meet  again — that  is  to  say,  in  our  present  rela- 
tions; for  if  I  fail  I  certainly  shall  not  return  home  for 
some  years;  it  would  be  only  fair  to  her  that  I  should  not 
do  so.  I  know  that  she  would  keep  on  as  long  as  there  was 
any  hope,  but  I  should  not  care  to  think  that  she  was  wasting 
her  life.  I  was  an  ass  to  believe  it  could  ever  be  otherwise, 
and  I  feel  that  the  best  thing  for  us  both  would  have  been 
for  me  to  go  away  as  soon  as  I  found  that  I  was  getting  fond 
of  her." 

"  Well,  of  course  I  cannot  understand  it,  Harry,  and  it 
seems  to  me  that  one  girl  is  very  like  another;  she  may  be 
a  bit  prettier  than  the  average,  but  I  suppose  that  comes  to 
all  the  same  thing  in  another  twenty  years.  I  can  under- 
stand a  man  getting  awfully  fond  of  his  ship,  especially  when 
she  is  a  clipper.  However,  some  day  I  may  feel  different; 
besides,  how  could  you  tell  that  her  father  would  turn  out 
such  a  crusty  old  beggar  ?  " 

"  I  suppose  I  did  not  think  about  it  one  way  or  the  other, 
Bertie,"  Harry  said  quietly.  "However,  the  mischief  is 
done,  and  even  if  there  was  no  chance  whatever  of  making 
money  I  should  go  now  for  my  own  sake  as  well  as  hers. 
Well,  it  is  of  no  use  talking  more  about  it;  we  will  go  out 
now  and  buy  the  rifles.  I  sha'n't  get  them  new,  one  can 
pick  up  guns  just  as  good  at  half  the  price,  and  as  I  know 


THE   START  27 

something  about  rifles  I  am  not  likely  to  be  taken  in.  Of 
course  I  have  got  my  pistols  and  only  have  a  brace  to  buy 
for  you.  You  will  have  time  on  the  voyage  to  practise  with 
them ;  if  you  did  not  do  that  you  would  be  as  likely  to  shoot 
me  as  a  hostile  Indian." 

"  Oh,  that  is  bosh !  "  the  boy  said ;  "  still,  I  certainly  should 
like  to  be  a  good  shot." 

After  getting  the  rifles  and  pistols,  Harry  went  into  the 
city  and  ordered  six  dozen  of  wine  and  three  dozen  of  brandy 
to  be  sent  on  board  out  of  bond;  he  also  ordered  a  bag  of 
twenty  pounds  of  raw  coffee,  a  chest  of  tea,  and  a  couple  of 
dozen  bottles  of  pickles  and  sauces,  to  be  sent  down  to  the 
docks  on  the  day  before  the  Para  sailed.  Another  suit  of 
seafaring  clothes  and  a  stock  of  under-clothing  was  ordered 
for  Bertie.  Harry  spent  the  intervening  time  before  the 
vessel  sailed  in  looking  up  his  friends  and  saying  good-bye 
to  them,  and  drove  down  to  the  docks  at  the  appointed  time, 
his  brother  having  joined  the  ship  on  the  previous  day. 

The  Para  was  a  barque-rigged  ship  of  some  eight  hundred 
tons.  At  present  she  did  not  show  to  advantage,  her  deck 
being  littered  with  stores  of  all  kinds  that  had  come  on  board 
late.  The  deck  planks  where  they  could  be  seen  were  almost 
black,  the  sails  had  been  partly,  loosed  from  the  gaskets,  and 
to  an  eye  accustomed  to  the  neatness  and  order  of  a  man-of- 
war  her  appearance  was  by  no  means  favourable;  but  her 
sides  shone  with  fresh  paint,  and,  looking  at  her  lines  from 
the  wharf,  Harry  thought  she  would  be  both  fast  and  a  good 
sea-boat.  She  was  not  heavily  laden,  and  stood  boldly  up  in 
the  water.  Nodding  to  Bertie,  who  was  working  hard  among 
the  men,  he  went  up  on  to  the  poop,  from  which  Captain 
Peters  was  shouting  orders. 

"  Glad  to  see  you,  sir,"  the  captain  said ;  "  she  looks  rather 
in  a  litter  at  present,  doesn't  she?  We  shall  get  her  all 
ataunto  before  we  get  down  to  the  Nore.  These  confounded 
people  won't  send  their  stores  on  board  till  the  last  moment. 
If  I  were  an  owner  I  should  tell  all  shippers  that  no  goods 


28  THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  INCAS 

would  be  received  within  five  or  six  hours  of  the  ship's  time 
for  sailing;  that  would  give  us  a  fair  chance,  instead  of 
starting  all  in  a  muddle,  just  at  the  time,  too,  when  more  than 
any  other  one  wants  to  have  the  decks  free  for  making  short 
tacks  down  these  narrow  reaches.  I  believe  half  the  wrecks 
on  the  sands  at  the  mouth  of  the  river  are  due  to  the  con- 
fusion in  which  the  ships  start.  How  can  a  crew  be  lively  in 
getting  the  yards  over  when  they  have  to  go  about  decks 
lumbered  up  like  this,  and  half  of  them  are  only  just  recover- 
ing from  their  bout  of  drink  the  day  before  ? " 

Up  to  the  last  moment  everyone  on  board  was  hard  at  work, 
and  when  the  order  was  given  to  throw  off  the  hawsers  the 
deck  was  already  comparatively  clear.  Half  an  hour  later 
the  vessel  passed  out  through  the  dock  gates,  with  two  boats 
towing  ahead  so  as  to  take  her  well  out  into  the  river;  the 
rest  of  the  crew  were  employed  in  letting  the  sails  drop.  As 
soon  as  she  gathered  way  the  men  in  the  boats  were  called  in, 
the  boats  themselves  being  towed  behind  in  case  they  might 
again  be  required. 

The  passage  from  the  Pool  to  the  mouth  of  the  river  was 
in  those  days  the  most  dangerous  portion  of  the  voyage. 
There  were  no  tugs  to  seize  the  ships  and  carry  them  down  to 
the  open  water,  while  the  channels  below  the  Nore  were  badly 
buoyed  and  lighted,  and  it  was  no  uncommon  thing  for 
twenty  vessels  to  get  upon  the  sands  in  the  course  of  a  single 
tide. 

The  wind  was  light,  and  being  northerly  helped  them  well 
on  their  way,  and  it  was  only  in  one  or  two  reaches  that  the 
Para  was  unable  to  lay  her  course.  She  overtook  many  craft 
that  had  been  far  ahead  of  her,  and  answered  the  helm 
quickly. 

"  She  is  both  fast  and  handy,  I  see,"  Harry  Prendergast, 
who  had  been  watching  her  movements  with  interest,  re- 
marked. 

"Yes;  there  are  not  many  craft  out  of  London  can  show 
her  their  heels  when  the  wind  is  free.  She  does  not  look 


THE  STAET  29 

quite  so  well  into  the  wind  as  I  should  wish;  still,  I  think 
she  is  as  good  as  most  of  them." 

"  I  suppose  you  will  get  down  to  Gravesend  before  the  tide 
turns?" 

"  Yes,  we  shall  anchor  there.  The  wind  is  not  strong 
enough  for  us  to  stem  the  tide,  which  runs  like  a  sluice  there. 
Once  past  the  Nore  one  can  do  better,  but  there  is  no  fighting 
the  tide  here  unless  one  has  a  steady  breeze  aft.  I  never  feel 
really  comfortable  till  we  are  fairly  round  the  South  Fore- 
land; after  that  it  is  plain  sailing  enough.  Though  there 
are  a  few  shoals  in  the  Channel,  one  can  give  them  a  wide 
berth ;  fogs  are  the  things  we  have  to  fear  there." 

"  Yes.  I  have  never  been  down  the  river,  having  always 
joined  my  ships  either  at  Portsmouth  or  Plymouth,  so  I 
know  very  little  about  it;  but  I  know  from  men  who  have 
been  on  board  vessels  commissioned  at  Chatham  or  Sheerness 
that  they  are  thankful  indeed  when  they  once  get  round  the 
Goodwins  and  head  west." 

"Well,  Mr.  Prendergast,  I  am  against  these  new-fangled 
steamboats — I  suppose  every  true  sailor  is;  but  when  the 
Marjory  began  to  run  between  London  and  Gravesend  eigh- 
teen years  ago — in  '15  I  think  it  was — folks  did  say  that  it 
would  not  be  long  before  sailing  craft  would  be  driven  off 
the  sea.  I  did  not  believe  that  then,  and  I  don't  believe  it 
now;  but  I  do  say  that  I  hope  before  long  there  will  be  a 
lot  of  small  steamers  on  the  Thames,  to  tow  vessels  down  till 
they  are  off  the  North  Foreland.  It  would  be  a  blessing  and 
a  comfort  to  us  master  mariners.  Once  there  we  have  the 
choice  of  going  outside  the  Goodwins,  or  taking  a  short  cut 
inside  if  the  wind  is  aft.  Why,  sir,  it  would  add  years  to  our 
lives  and  shorten  voyages  by  weeks.  There  we  are,  now, 
sometimes  lying  off  the  Nore,  five  hundred  sail,  waiting  for 
the  wind  to  shift  out  of  the  east,  and  when  we  do  get  under 
weigh  we  have  always  to  keep  the  lead  going.  One  never 
knows  when  one  may  bump  upon  the  sands.  Some  masters 
will  grope  their  way  along  in  the  dark,  but  for  my  part  I 


30  THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  INCAS 

always  anchor.  There  are  few  enough  buoys  and  beacons  in 
daytime,  but  I  consider  that  it  is  tempting  Providence  to  try 
and  go  down  in  a  dark  night.  The  owners  are  sensible  men, 
and  they  know  that  it  is  not  worth  while  running  risks  just 
to  save  a  day  or  two  when  you  have  got  a  four  months'  voyage 
before  you.  Once  past  Dover  I  am  ready  to  hold  on  with 
anyone,  but  between  the  Nore  and  the  North  Foreland  I  pick 
my  way  as  carefully  as  a  woman  going  across  a  muddy 
street." 

"  You  are  quite  right,  Captain ;  I  thoroughly  agree  with 
you.  More  ships  get  ashore  going  down  to  the  mouth  of  the 
Thames  than  in  any  other  part  of  the  world ;  and,  as  you  say, 
if  all  sailing  ships  might  be  taken  down  by  a  steamer,  it 
would  be  the  making  of  the  port  of  London." 

"  Your  brother  is  a  smart  young  chap,  Mr.  Prendergast. 
I  was  watching  him  yesterday,  and  he  is  working  away  now 
as  if  he  liked  work.  He  has  the  makings  of  a  first-rate  sailor. 
I  hold  that  a  man  will  never  become  a  first-class  seaman  un- 
less he  likes  work  for  its  own  sake.  There  are  three  sorts 
of  hands.  There  is  the  fellow  who  shirks  his  work  whenever 
he  has  a  chance;  there  is  the  man  who  does  his  work,  but 
who  does  it  because  he  has  to  do  it,  and  always  looks  glad 
when  a  job  is  over;  and  there  is  the  lad  who  jumps  to  his 
work,  chucks  himself  right  into  it,  and  puts  his  last  ounce 
of  strength  on  a  rope.  That  is  the  fellow  who  will  make  a 
good  officer,  and  who,  if  needs  be,  can  set  an  example  to  the 
men  when  they  have  to  go  aloft  to  reef  a  sail  in  a  stiff  gale. 
So,  as  I  understand,  Mr.  Prendergast,  he  is  going  to  leave 
the  sea  for  a  bit.  It  seems  a  pity  too." 

"  He  will  be  none  the  worse  for  it,  Captain.  A  year  or 
so  knocking  about  among  the  mountains  of  Peru  will  do 
more  good  to  him  than  an  equal  time  on  board  ship.  It  will 
sharpen  him  up,  and  give  him  habits  of  reliance  and  confi- 
dence. He  will  be  all  the  better  for  it  afterwards,  even  put- 
ting aside  the  advantage  it  will  be  to  him  to  pick  up 
Spanish." 


THE  STAET  31 

"Yes,  it  may  do  him  good,"  the  captain  agreed,  "if  it 
does  not  take  away  his  liking  for  the  sea." 

"I  don't  think  it  will  do  that.  If  the  first  voyage  or 
two  don't  sicken  a  lad,  I  think  it  is  pretty  certain  he  is 
cut  out  for  the  sea.  Of  course  it  is  a  very  hard  life  at  first, 
especially  if  the  officers  are  a  rough  lot,  but  when  a  boy  gets 
to  know  his  duty  things  go  more  easily  with  him;  he  is 
accustomed  to  the  surroundings,  and  takes  to  the  food,  which 
you  know  is  not  always  of  the  best,  with  a  good  appetite. 
Bertie  has  had  three  years  of  it  now,  and  when  he  has  come 
home  I  have  never  heard  a  grumble  from  him;  and  he  is 
not  likely  to  meet  with  such  luxuries  while  we  are  knocking 
about  as  to  make  him  turn  up  his  nose  at  salt  junk." 

The  tide  was  already  turning  when  they  reached  Graves- 
end.  As  soon  as  the  anchor  was  down  the  steward  came  up 
to  say  that  dinner  was  ready. 

"  I  am  not  at  all  sorry,"  Harry  said  as  he  went  below  with 
the  captain.  "  I  ate  a  good  breakfast  before  I  started  at 
half -past  six,  and  I  went  below  and  had  a  biscuit  and  bottle 
of  beer  at  eleven,  but  I  feel  as  hungry  as  a  hunter  now. 
There  is  nothing  like  a  sea  appetite.  I  have  been  nearly  two 
years  on  shore,  and  I  never  enjoyed  a  meal  as  I  do  at  sea." 

The  crew  had  been  busy  ever  since  they  left  the  dock, 
and  the  deck  had  now  been  scrubbed  and  made  tidy,  and 
presented  a  very  different  appearance  from  that  which  met 
Harry's  eye  as  he  came  on  board. 

Johnson,  the  first  mate,  also  dined  with  the  skipper.  He 
was  a  tall,  powerfully  built  man.  He  was  singularly  taci- 
turn, and  took  no  share  in  the  conversation  unless  directly 
asked.  He  seemed,  however,  to  be  able  to  appreciate  a  joke, 
but  never  laughed  audibly,  contenting  himself  with  drawing 
his  lips  apart  and  showing  his  teeth. 

The  wind  was  light  and  baffling,  so  that  they  did  not  round 
the  South  Foreland  until  the  seventh  day  after  leaving  dock. 
After  that  it  was  favourable  and  steady,  and  they  ran  with- 
out any  change  until  they  approached  the  line;  then  there 


32  THE  TKEASUEE  OF  THE  INCAS 

was  a  fortnight  of  calm.  At  last  they  got  the  wind  again, 
and  made  a  rapid  run  until  within  five  hundred  miles  of 
Cape  Horn.  The  captain  was  in  high  glee. 

"  We  have  done  capitally  so  far,  Mr.  Prendergast.  I  don't 
think  I  ever  made  so  rapid  a  run.  If  she  goes  on  like  this 
we  shall  reach  Callao  within  three  months  of  starting." 

"  I  don't  think  the  weather  will  continue  like  this,"  the 
mate  said. 

This  was  the  first  original  observation  he  had  made  since 
he  had  sailed,  and  Harry  and  the  captain  looked  at  him  in 
surprise. 

"  You  think  there  is  going  to  be  a  change,  Mr.  Johnson  ?  " 
the  captain  said,  after  a  short  pause  to  recover  -from  his 
astonishment. 

The  mate  nodded. 

"  Glass  falling,  sky  hazy." 

"  Is  the  glass  falling  ?  I  am  ashamed  to  say  I  have  not 
looked  at  it  for  the  past  twenty-four  hours.  It  has  stuck 
so  long  at  the  same  point  that  I  have  quite  ceased  to  look 
at  it  two  or  three  times  a  day  as  I  usually  do." 

"  It  has  not  fallen  much,  but  it  is  sinking." 

The  captain  got  up  from  the  table,  and  went  to  look  at 
the  glass. 

"You  are  right,  it  has  fallen  a  good  eighth;  but  that  may 
mean  a  change  of  wind.  Did  you  notice  any  change,  Mr. 
Prendergast  ?  " 

"  !N"o,  I  can't  say  that  I  did.  I  looked  up,  as  a  sailor  always 
does,  when  I  was  on  deck  this  morning,  but  it  was  clear 
enough  then,  and  I  have  not  noticed  it  particularly  since." 

But  when  they  went  up  on  deck  half  an  hour  later  both 
agreed  that  the  mate  was  right.  The  change  overhead  was 
slight,  but  away  to  the  west  a  dull  reddish  mist  seemed  to 
obscure  the  horizon. 

"  We  will  get  the  upper  sails  off  at  once,  Mr.  Johnson. 
These  storms  come  so  suddenly  off  the  coast  that  it  is  as  well 
to  lose  no  time  in  shortening  sail  when  one  sees  any  indica- 
tion of  such  a  change." 


THE   STAET  33 

The  mate  at  once  gave  the  necessary  orders.  The  sailors 
started  up  with  looks  of  surprise. 

"  Look  sharp,  men !  "  the  mate  said.  "  We  shall  have  wind, 
and  plenty  of  it.  It  will  be  here  before  long." 

The  men,  who  were  by  no  means  sorry  for  a  spell  of  work 
after  going  so  long  without  shifting  sail  or  tack,  worked 
hard,  and  the  white  sheets  of  canvas  were  soon  snugly  furled. 
By  this  time  all  the  sailors  who  had  been  to  sea  for  any  time 
recognized  the  utility  of  their  work.  The  low  bank  had  risen 
and  extended  the  whole  width  of  the  western  horizon. 

"  What  do  you  think,  Mr.  Prendergast  ?  Have  we  got 
enough  off  her  ? " 

"  I  don't  know  about  your  storms  here,  Captain ;  but  if 
it  were  in  the  Levant  I  should  get  every  stitch  of  canvas  off 
her  excepting  closely-reefed  topsails,  a  storm  jib,  and  fore 
stay-sail.  The  first  burst  over,  one  can  always  shake  out 
more  canvas.  However,  you  know  these  seas,  and  I  do  not." 

"  I  think  you  are  right.  These  pamperos,  as  we  call  them, 
are  not  to  be  trifled  with." 

"  In  that  case  there  is  no  time  to  be  lost,  Captain,  and  with 
your  permission  I  will  lend  a  hand." 

"  All  hands  take  in  sail ! "  the  captain  shouted. 

The  mate  led  the  way  up  the  starboard  shrouds,  while 
Harry,  throwing  off  his  coat,  mounted  those  to  port,  closely 
followed  by  Bertie.  Five  minutes'  hard  work,  and  the  Para 
was  stripped  for  the  struggle. 

"  That  is  a  good  job  done,"  the  skipper  said  to  Harry  as 
he  reached  the  deck. 

"A  very  good  job,  sir.  The  wind  may  come,  but  we  are 
prepared  for  it;  there  is  nothing  like  being  ready  in  time." 

"  She  is  in  good  trim  for  it,"  said  the  captain,  "  not  above 
two-thirds  laden,  and  as  the  wind  is  off  the  land,  there  is 
nothing  to  worry  us  except  the  Falklands.  I  shall  go  out- 
side them.  Of  course  that  will  lengthen  the  voyage,  but  with 
this  westerly  wind  I  should  not  care  about  being  between 
them  and  the  mainland.  You  think  the  same,  Mr.  Prender- 
gast?" 


34  THE  THEASUBE  OF  THE  INCAS 

"I  do,  sir;  they  are  a  scattered  group,  and  it  would  not 
be  pleasant  to  have  them  under  lee." 

It  had  grown  sensibly  darker,  but  the  line  of  mist  had  not 
risen  higher.  Harry  remarked  upon  this. 

"I  almost  doubt  whether  it  is  coming  after  all,"  he  said. 

The  captain  shook  his  head. 

"  It  does  not  spread  over  the  sky,"  he  said,  "  because  it  is 
largely  dust  blown  off  the  land.  After  the  first  burst  you 
will  see  that  we  shall  have  a  bright  blue  sky  and  a  roaring 
wind,  just  as  one  gets  it  sometimes  in  an  easterly  gale  in  the 
Channel.  We  shall  have  it  in  another  five  minutes,  I  fancy. 
I  don't  think  it  will  be  very  strong,  or  we  should  have  had 
it  here  before  this." 

It  was  not  long  before  a  dull,  moaning  sound  was  heard, 
the  brown-red  fog  changed  its  appearance,  swirls  of  vapour 
seemed  to  dash  out  in  front  of  it,  and  the  whole  swelled  and 
heaved  as  if  it  were  being  pushed  forward  by  some  tremen- 
dous pressure  in  its  rear. 

The  ship's  head  was  pointing  nearly  east,  the  canvas  hung 
down  motionless,  and  there  was  not  a  breath  of  wind. 

"  Hold  on  all !  "  the  captain  shouted.  Half  a  minute  later 
the  billowy  clouds  swept  across  the  vessel,  and  a  sudden 
darkness  overspread  them.  Then  there  was  a  glow  of  white 
light,  a  line  of  foam  approached  as  fleet  as  a  race-horse,  and 
with  a  shriek  the  gale  was  upon  them.  The  vessel  shook 
from  stem  to  stern  as  if  she  had  struck  against  a  rock,  and 
her  bow  was  pressed  down  lower  and  lower  until  she  seemed 
as  if  she  were  going  to  dive  head-foremost.  But  as  she  gath- 
ered way,  her  bow  rose,  and  in  a  minute  she  was  flying  along 
at  some  eighteen  knots  an  hour. 

"  She  is  all  right  now,  Mr.  Prendergast,"  the  captain  said. 
"It  is  well  we  stripped  her  so  thoroughly,  and  that  she  is 
not  heavily  laden." 

Four  men  had  been  placed  at  the  wheel,  and  it  needed  all 
their  strength  to  keep  her  from  yawing.  In  half  an  hour 
the  sea  began  to  get  up,  and  the  captain  laid  her  course 
south-east,  which  put  the  wind  on  her  quarter. 


THE  START  35 

"  It  is  well  we  were  not  a  degree  or  so  farther  south,  Cap- 
tain." 

"Yes;  it  would  have  been  as  much  as  we  could  do  to 
weather  the  Falklands;  for  with  this  small  amount  of  sail 
we  should  have  made  a  terrible  amount  of  leeway.  As  it 
is,  all  is  fair  sailing." 

The  darkness  gradually  passed  away,  and  in  an  hour  after 
the  gale  had  struck  her  the  Para  was  sailing  under  a  bright 
blue  sky.  Although  but  few  points  off  the  wind,  she  was 
lying  down  till  her  lee  scuppers  were  under  water.  The 
spray  was  flying  over  her  sparkling  in  the  sun;  the  sailors 
were  crouched  under  the  weather  bulwark,  lashed  to  belaying- 
pins  and  stanchions  to  prevent  themselves  from  shifting 
down  to  leewards.  Six  hours  later  it  was  evident  that  there 
was  some  slight  diminution  in  the  force  of  the  wind. 

"  She  is  going  about  fourteen  knots  now,"  the  captain 
said;  "we  can  head  her  more  to  the  south.  We  must  be 
nearly  abreast  of  the  islands,  and  according  to  my  reckoning 
forty  or  fifty  miles  to  the  east  of  them." 

It  was  now  dark,  and  the  watch  was  sent  below. 
.  "  To-morrow  morning  we  shall  be  able  to  get  some  more 
sail  on  her,"  the  master  said,  "  and  I  hope  by  the  next  morn- 
ing the  squall  will  be  over,  for  we  shall  then  have  made  our 
southing,  and  the  wind  will  be  right  in  our  teeth  when  we 
turn  her  head  west.  There  is  no  saying  which  way  it  will 
come  when  the  squall  dies  out.  What  do  you  think,  John- 
son?" 

"  We  are  pretty  sure  to  get  it  hot  from  one  quarter  or  an- 
other," the  man  said.  "I  should  say  most  likely  from  the 
south." 

"Except  for  the  cold  that  would  be  better  than  west," 
Harry  remarked. 

"  Yes,  if  it  is  not  too  strong ;  but  it  is  likely  to  be  strong. 
After  such  a  gale  as  we  have  had,  it  seldom  settles  down  for 
some  time.  As  like  as  not  there  will  be  bad  weather  for  the 
next  month." 


36  THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  INCAS 

The  next  morning  when  Harry  went  on  deck  he  saw 
that  the  reefs  had  been  shaken  out  of  the  topsails  and  the 
spanker  hoisted.  There  was  still  a  fresh  wind,  but  it  had 
backed  round  more  to  the  south,  and  there  was  so  sharp  a 
nip  in  it  that  he  went  below  and  put  on  a  pea-jacket.  Then 
he  beckoned  to  Bertie,  who  was  off  duty,  to  join  him  on  the 
poop. 

"  That  has  been  a  smart  blow,  Bertie." 

"  Yes,  but  I  had  it  worse  than  that  the  last  time  I  came 
round  the  Horn.  I  think  we  shall  be  shortening  sail  again 
before  long.  The  clouds  are  banking  up  to  the  south-west. 
She  is  a  good  sea-boat,  isn't  she  ? " 

"  She  has  behaved  uncommonly  well.  We  shall  want  all 
our  clothes  before  night,  Bertie.  It  was  May  when  we 
started,  and  it  is  nearly  mid-winter  down  here." 

"  There  is  one  thing,  we  sha'n't  have  so  much  risk  of  com- 
ing across  drifting  icebergs,  most  of  them  will  be  frozen  up 
hard  and  fast  down  in  the  south.  They  don't  matter  much 
when  the  weather  is  clear,  but  if  it  is  thick  one  has  an  awful 
time  of  it.  On  my  first  voyage  it  was  like  that,  and  I  tell 
you  I  didn't  think  I  was  going  to  see  England  again.  We 
had  some  desperately  close  shaves." 

The  wind  speedily  freshened,  and  by  evening  the  ship  was 
under  close-reefed  canvas  again.  The  clouds  were  flying  fast 
overhead  and  the  air  was  thick.  Before  the  evening  watch 
was  set  the  ship  was  brought  round  on  the  other  tack,  and 
was  running  to  the  east  of  south. 

"We  will  lie  on  this  course  till  morning,  Mr.  Prender- 
gast,"  said  the  captain,  "  and  then  if  the  wind  holds,  I  think 
we  shall  be  able  to  make  a  long  leg  and  weather  the  Horn." 

For  six  days  the  storm  raged  with  unabated  violence.  The 
cold  was  intense,  the  spray  breaking  over  the  bows  froze  as 
it  fell,  and  the  crew  were  engaged  for  hours  at  a  time  in 
breaking  up  the  masses  of  ice  thus  formed.  Harry  had  vol- 
unteered to  take  a  watch  in  turn  with  the  first  and  second 
mates.  The  captain  was  almost  continuously  on  deck.  Twice 


AT    LIMA  37 

"they  encountered  icebergs,  and  once  in  a  driving  snow-storm, 
nearly  ran  foul  of  one.  Fortunately  it  was  daylight,  and 
the  whole  crew  being  on  deck,  they  were  able  to  put  the  ves- 
sel about  just  in  time.  During  this  time  the  vessel  had  only 
gained  a  few  miles'  westing.  All  on  board  were  utterly  ex- 
hausted with  the  struggle  against  the  bitter  wind;  their 
hands  were  sore  and  bleeding  through  pulling  upon  frozen 
ropes,  their  faces  inflamed,  and  their  eyelids  so  swollen  and 
sore  that  they  could  scarcely  see.  Then  the  wind  began  to 
abate,  and  more  sail  being  got  on  the  Para,  she  was  able  to 
lie  her  course. 

CHAPTEK  HI 

AT  LIMA 

THEEE  days  later  the  sky  cleared,  and  the  captain,  get- 
ting an  observation,  found  that  they  had  rounded  the 
southernmost  point  of  the  Cape.  Another  day  and  the  Para's 
head  was  turned  north,  and  a  week  later  they  were  running 
smoothly  along  before  a  gentle  breeze,  with  the  coast  of 
Chili  twenty  miles  away.  The  heavy  wraps  had  all  been  laid 
aside,  and  although  the  air  was  still  frosty,  the  crew  felt  it 
warm  after  what  they  had  endured.  The  upper  spars  and 
yards  had  all  been  sent  up,  and  she  was  now  carrying  a  crowd 
of  canvas.  The  mate  had  thawed  out  under  the  more  con- 
genial surroundings.  He  had  worked  like  a  horse  during 
the  storm,  setting  an  example,  whether  in  going  aloft  or  in 
the  work  of  clearing  off  the  ice  from  the  bows,  and  even 
when  his  watch  was  relieved  he  seldom  went  bslow, 

"  Well,  I  hope,  Mr.  Johnson,  we  shall  sail  together  until 
you  get  your  next  step,"  the  captain  said.  "I  could  not 
wish  for  a  better  first  officer." 

"  I  want  nothing  better,  sir.  She  is  a  fine  ship,  well 
manned  and  well  commanded.  I  begin  to  feel  at  home  in 
her  now;  at  first  I  didn't.  I  hate  changes;  and  though  the 


38  THE  TREASUEE  OF  THE  INCAS 

last  captain  I  sailed  with  was  a  surly  fellow,  we  got  on  very 
well  together.  I  would  rather  sail  with  a  man  like  that  than 
with  a  skipper  who  is  always  talking.  I  am  a  silent  man 
myself,  and  am  quite  content  to  eat  my  meal  and  enjoy  it, 
without  having  to  stop  every  time  I  am  putting  my  fork  into 
my  mouth  to  answer  some  question  or  other.  I  was  once 
six  months  up  in  the  north  without  ever  speaking  to  a  soul. 
I  was  whaling  then,  and  a  snow-storm  came  on  when  we  were 
fist  on  to  a  fish.  It  was  twenty-four  hours  before  it  cleared 
off,  and  when  it  did  there  was  no  ship  to  be  seen.  We  were 
in  an  inlet  at  the  time  in  Baffin's  Bay.  We  thought  that 
the  ship  would  come  back,  and  we  landed  and  hauled  up  the 
boat.  The  ship  didn't  come  back,  and,  as  I  learned  long 
afterwards,  was  never  heard  of  again.  I  suppose  she  got 
nipped  between  two  icebergs. 

"  Winter  was  coming  on  fast,  and  the  men  all  agreed  that 
they  would  rather  try  and  make  their  way  south  overland 
than  stay  there.  I  told  them  that  they  were  fools,  but  I 
admit  that  the  prospect  of  a  winter  there  was  enough  to 
frighten  any  man.  I  did  not  like  it  myself,  but  I  thought 
it  was  wiser  to  remain  there  than  to  move.  Some  of  the 
men  went  along  the  shore,  or  out  in  the  boat,  and  managed 
to  kill  several  sea-cows.  They  made  a  sledge,  piled  the  meat 
on  it,  and  started. 

"Meanwhile  I  had  been  busy  building  a  sort  of  hut.  I 
piled  great  stones  against  the  foot  of  the  cliffs,  and  turned 
the  boat  upside  down  to  form  a  roof.  The  men  helped  me 
to  do  that  job  the  last  thing  before  they  started.  Then  I 
blocked  up  the  entrance,  leaving  only  just  room  for  me  to 
crawl  in  and  out.  The  snow  began  to  fall  steadily  three 
days  after  the  others  had  gone,  and  very  soon  covered  my 
hut  two  feet  deep.  I  melted  the  blubber  of  the  whale  in  the 
boat's  baler,  for  we  had  towed  the  fish  ashore.  The  first 
potful  or  two  I  boiled  over  a  few  bits  of  drift-wood.  After 
that  it  was  easy  enough,  as  I  unravelled  some  of  the  boat's 
rope,  dipped  it  in  the  hot  blubber,  and  made  a  store  of  big 


AT  LIMA  39 

candles.  There  was  a  lot  of  meat  left  on  the  sea-cows,  so  I 
cut  that  up,  froze  it,  and  stowed  as  much  as  I  could  in  the 
hut.  I  was  bothered  about  the  rest,  as  I  knew  the  bears  were 
likely  to  come  down;  but  I  found  a  ledge  on  the  face  of  the 
perpendicular  rock,  and  by  putting  the  boat's  mast  against  it 
I  was  able  to  get  up  to  it.  Here  I  piled,  I  should  say,  a  ton 
of  meat  and  blubber.  Then  I  set  to  work  and  collected  some 
dried  grass,  and  soon  I  had  enough  to  serve  as  bed  and  covers. 
It  took  me  a  month  to  do  all  this,  and  by  that  time  winter 
was  down  on  me  in  earnest.  I  had  spent  my  evenings  in 
making  myself,  out  of  the  skins  of  the  three  cows,  breeches, 
high  boots,  and  a  coat  with  a  hood  over  the  head,  and  in  order 
to  make  these  soft  I  rubbed  them  with  hot  oil.  They  were 
rough  things,  but  I  hoped  that  I  might  get  a  bear  later  on. 
Fortunately  the  boat  had  two  balers,  for  I  required  one  in 
which  to  melt  the  snow  over  the  lamp. 

"  Well,  sir,  I  lived  there  during  that  winter.  I  did  not 
find  it  altogether  dull,  for  I  had  several  bits  of  excitement. 
For  a  month  or  so  bears  and  wolves  came  down  and  fought 
over  the  carcass  of  the  whale.  When  that  was  eaten  up  they 
turned  their  attention  to  me,  and  over  and  over  again  they 
tried  to  break  in.  They  had  better  have  left  me  alone,  for 
though  they  were  strong  enough  to  have  pulled  away  the 
rocks  that  blocked  the  entrance,  they  could  not  stand  fire. 
As  I  had  any  amount  of  rope,  I  used  to  soak  it  in  rock-oil, 
set  it  on  fire,  and  shove  it  out  of  the  entrance.  Twice  small 
bears  managed  to  wriggle  up  the  passage,  but  I  had  sharp- 
ened the  boat-hook  and  managed  to  kill  them  both.  One  skin 
made  me  a  whole  suit,  and  the  other  a  first-rate  blanket. 
Not  that  it  was  ever  unpleasantly  cold,  for  a  couple  of  my 
big  candles,  and  the  thick  coating  of  snow  over  it,  kept  the 
place  as  warm  as  I  cared  for.  Occasionally,  when  the  bears 
had  cleared  off,  I  went  out,  climbed  the  mast,  and  got  fresh 
supplies  down.  They  had  made  desperate  efforts  to  get  at 
the  meat,  but  the  face  of  the  rock  was  luckily  too  smooth 
for  them  to  get  any  hold.  When  spring  came  and  the  ice 


40  THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  INCAS 

broke  up,  I  planted  the  mast  on  the  top  of  the  cliff  with  the 
sail  fastened  as  a  flag,  and  a  month  after  the  sea  was  clear 
a  whaler  came  in  and  took  me  off.  That  was  how  I  pretty 
well  lost  the  use  of  my  tongue,  and  though  I  am  better  than 
I  was,  I  don't  use  it  much  now  except  on  duty." 

"  That  certainly  accounts  for  it,"  Harry  said ;  "  you  must 
have  had  an  awful  time." 

"  I  don't  think  I  minded  it  very  much,  sir.  Except  when 
I  was  bothered  by  the  bears  I  slept  a  good  lot.  I  think  at 
first  I  used  to  talk  out  loud  a  good  deal.  But  I  soon  dropped 
that,  though  I  used  to  whistle  sometimes  when  I  was  cooking 
the  food.  I  don't  think  I  should  have  held  on  so  long  if  I 
had  only  had  the  sea-cow  flesh,  but  the  bears  made  a  nice 
change,  and  I  only  wished  that  one  or  two  more  had  managed 
to  crawl  in." 

"  I  wonder  you  were  able  to  kill  them  with  a  boat-hook." 

"  I  didn't,  sir.  You  know  every  whaler  carries  an  axe 
to  cut  the  line  if  necessary,  and  I  was  able  to  split  their 
skulls  as  they  crawled  in  before  they  could  get  fairly  on  to 
their  feet  and  use  their  paws.  I  was  getting  very  weak  with 
scurvy  towards  the  end;  but  as  soon  as  the  snow  melted 
plants  began  to  shoot,  and  I  was  able  to  collect  green  stuff, 
so  that  I  was  nearly  well  by  the  time  I  was  picked  up." 

The  weather  continued  fine  all  the  time  they  were  coasting 
up  the  Chilian  coast.  They  were  a  week  at  Valparaiso  get- 
ting out  the  cargo  they  had  brought  for  that  town,  and  did 
some  trading  at  smaller  ports;  but  at  last,  just  four  months 
after  leaving  England,  they  dropped  anchor  off  Callao. 

"Well,  it  has  been  a  jolly  voyage,  Harry,"  his  brother 
said  as  they  were  rowed  ashore,  after  a  hearty  farewell  from 
the  captain  and  the  first  officer. 

"I  am  glad  you  enjoyed  it,  Bertie.  I  was  sorry  all  the 
time  I  hadn't  taken  a  passage  for  you  aft." 

"  I  am  better  pleased  to  have  been  at  work ;  it  would  have 
been  awfully  slow  otherwise.  The  mates  were  both  good 
fellows,  and  I  got  on  well  with  the  other  apprentices.  I  tried 


AT  LIMA  41 

at  first  not  to  turn  out  on  night  watch,  as  I  was  not  obliged 
to  do  so,  but  I  soon  gave  it  up;  it  seemed  disgusting  to  be 
lying  there  when  the  others  had  to  turn  out.  It  has  been  a 
jolly  voyage,  but  I  am  glad  that  we  are  here  at  last,  and  are 
going  to  set  to  work  in  search  of  treasures." 

"I  had  begun  to  think  that  we  should  not  get  on  shore 
to-day,"  Harry  said  as  they  neared  the  landing-place.  "  What 
with  three  hours'  waiting  for  the  medical  officer,  and  another 
three  for  that  bumptious  official  whom  they  call  the  port  offi- 
cer, and  without  whose  permission  no  one  is  allowed  to  land, 
I  think  everyone  on  board  was  so  disgusted  that  we  should 
have  liked  nothing  better  than  to  pitch  the  fellow  overboard. 
It  was  rather  amusing  to  watch  all  those  boatmen  crowding 
round  shouting  the  praises  of  their  own  craft  and  running 
down  the  others.  But  a  little  of  it  goes  a  long  way.  It  is 
the  same  pretty  nearly  at  every  port  I  have  entered.  Boat- 
men are  harpies  of  the  worst  kind.  It  is  lucky  that  we  had 
so  little  baggage;  a  tip  of  a  couple  of  dollars  was  enough  to 
render  the  custom-house  officer  not  only  civil  but  servile." 

As  they  mounted  the  steps  they  were  assailed  by  a  motley 
crowd,  half  of  whom  struggled  to  get  near  them  to  hold  out 
their  hands  for  alms,  while  the  other  half  struggled  and 
fought  for  the  right  of  carrying  their  baggage.  Accustomed 
to  such  scenes,  Harry  at  once  seized  upon  two  of  them,  gave 
them  the  portmanteaux,  and,  keeping  behind  them,  pushed 
them  through  the  crowd,  telling  them  to  lead  the  way  to  the 
hotel  that  the  captain  had  recommended  as  being  the  least 
filthy  in  the  place.  They  crossed  a  square  covered  with  goods 
of  all  kinds.  There  were  long  rows  of  great  jars  filled  with 
native  spirit,  bales  of  cinchona  bark,  piles  of  wheat  from 
Chili,  white  and  rose-coloured  blocks  of  salt,  pyramids  of 
unrefined  sugar,  and  a  block  of  great  bars  of  silver;  among 
these  again  were  bales  and  boxes  landed  from  foreign  coun- 
tries, logs  of  timber,  and  old  anchors  and  chains.  Numbers 
of  people  who  appeared  to  have  nothing  to  do  sauntered 
about  or  sat  on  logs.  In  odd  corners  were  native  women  en- 


42  THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  INCAS 

gaged  in  making  the  picanties  upon  which  the  poor  largely 
exist;  these  were  composed  of  fresh  and  salt  meat,  potatoes, 
crabs,  the  juice  of  bitter  oranges,  lard,  salt,  and  an  abun- 
dance of  pepper  pods. 

"  That  is  the  sort  of  thing  we  shall  have  to  eat,  Bertie." 

"  Well,  I  should  not  mind  if  I  had  not  got  to  look  on  at 
the  making ;  they  smell  uncommonly  good." 

The  hotel  was  larger  and  even  more  dirty  than  the  cap- 
tain's description  had  led  them  to  expect.  However,  the 
dinner  that  was  served  to  them  was  better  than  they  had 
looked  for,  and  being  very  hungry  after  their  long  wait,  they 
did  full  justice  to  it. 

"It  might  have  been  a  good  deal  worse,  Bertie." 

"  I  should  think  so ;  after  four  months  of  salt  junk  it  is 
splendid !  " 

A  cup  of  really  good  coffee,  followed  by  a  little  glass  of 
native  spirits,  added  to  their  satisfaction.  They  had  hesi- 
tated before  whether  to  push  on  at  once  to  Lima  or  wait 
there  till  next  morning.  Their  meal  decided  them — they 
would  start  at  daybreak,  so  as  to  get  to  Lima  before  the  sun 
became  really  hot.  Harry  asked  the  landlord  to  bargain  for 
two  riding  mules  and  one  for  baggage  to  be  ready  at  that 
hour,  and  they  then  strolled  out  to  view  the  place,  although 
Bertie  assured  his  brother  that  there  was  nothing  whatever 
to  see  in  it. 

"  That  may  be,  Bertie ;  but  we  are  not  going  to  begin  by 
being  lazy.  There  is  always  something  to  see  in  foreign 
lands  by  those  who  keep  their  eyes  open." 

After  an  hour's  walk  Harry  was  inclined  to  think  that 
his  brother  was  right.  The  houses  were  generally  construct- 
ed of  canes,  plastered  with  mud,  and  painted  yellow.  As 
the  result  of  earthquakes,  scarce  a  house  stood  upright — 
some  leaned  sideways,  and  looked  as  if  they  were  going  to 
topple  over  into  the  road;  while  others  leaned  back,  as  if, 
•were  you  to  push  against  them,  they  would  collapse  and  crush 
the  inmates. 


AT  LIMA  43 

Their  night  was  not  a  pleasant  one.  The  beds  were  simple, 
consisting  only  of  hides  stretched  across  wooden  frames,  but, 
as  they  very  speedily  found,  there  were  numerous  other  in- 
habitants. They  therefore  slept  but  little,  and  were  heartily 
glad  when  the  first  gleam  of  dawn  appeared. 

Slipping  on  their  clothes,  they  ran  down  to  the  shore  and 
had  a  bath.  By  the  time  they  returned  breakfast  was  ready 
— coffee,  fish,  and  eggs.  The  mules  did  not  appear  for  an- 
other hour,  by  which  time  their  patience  was  all  but  ex- 
hausted. The  portmanteaux  were  speedily  strapped  on  to 
the  back  of  the  baggage  mule,  and  they  mounted  the  two 
others.  The  muleteer  had  brought  one  for  himself,  and, 
fastening  the  baggage  animal  behind  it,  they  started. 

It  was  six  miles  to  Lima,  but  as  the  city  is  five  hundred 
and  twelve  feet  above  the  sea,  the  ascent  was  steady  and  some- 
what steep.  The  road  was  desperately  bad,  and  the  country 
uninteresting,  being  for  the  most  part  dried  up.  Occasion- 
ally they  saw  great  mounds  of  adobe  bricks,  the  remains  of 
the  ancient  habitations.  As  they  neared  the  town  vegetation 
became  general,  small  canals  irrigating  the  country.  Here 
were  fruit  and  vegetable  gardens,  with  oranges,  plantains, 
vines,  and  flowers. 

Passing  through  a  gate  in  the  walls  they  entered  the  town, 
which  afforded  a  pleasant  contrast  to  the  squalid  misery  of 
Callao.  The  city,  however,  could  not  be  called  imposing; 
the  houses  were  low  and  irregular,  fantastically  painted  in 
squares  or  stripes,  and  almost  all  had  great  balconies  shut  in 
with  trellis-work. 

Few  of  the  houses  had  any  windows  towards  the  street, 
the  larger  ones  being  constructed  with  a  central  courtyard, 
into  which  the  rooms  all  opened.  The  streets  were  all  built 
at  right  angles,  the  principal  ones  leading  from  the  grand 
square,  in  which  stood  the  cathedral  and  the  palace  of  the 
Spanish  viceroys,  the  other  sides  consisting  of  private  houses, 
with  shops  and  arcades  below  them.  The  hotel  to  which  they 
had  been  recommended  was  a  large  building  with  a  courtyard, 


44  THE  TREASURE  OP  THE  INCAS 

with  dining  and  other  rooms  opening  from  it,  and  above  them 
the  bedrooms.  In  comparison  with  the  inn  at  Callao  it  was 
magnificent,  but  in  point  of  cleanliness  it  left  a  great  deal  to 
be  desired.  After  settling  themselves  in  their  room  they 
went  out.  The  change  in  temperature  since  they  had  left 
Oallao  had  been  very  great. 

"  The  first  thing  to  do,  Bertie,  is  to  buy  ourselves  a  couple 
of  good  ponchos.  You  see  all  the  natives  are  wearing  them." 

"  We  certainly  want  something  of  the  sort,  Harry.  I 
thought  it  was  heat  that  we  were  going  to  suffer  from,  but 
it  seems  just  the  other  way.  To  judge  from  the  temperature 
we  might  be  in  Scotland,  and  this  damp  mist  chills  one  to 
the  bone." 

"  I  am  not  much  surprised,  for  of  course  I  got  the  subject 
up  as  much  as  I  could  before  starting;  and  Barnett  told  me 
that  Lima  was  altogether  an  exceptional  place,  and  that  while 
it  was  bright  and  warm  during  the  winter  months,  from  May 
till  November  on  the  plains  only  a  few  miles  away,  even  in 
the  summer  months  there  was  almost  always  a  clammy  mist 
at  Lima,  and  that  inside  the  house  as  well  as  outside  every- 
thing streamed  with  moisture.  He  said  that  this  had  never 
been  satisfactorily  accounted  for.  Some  say  that  it  is  due 
to  the  coldness  of  the  river  here — the  Rimac — which  comes 
down  from  the  snowy  mountains.  Others  think  that  the  cold 
wind  that  always  blows  down  the  valley  of  the  river  meets 
the  winds  from  the  sea  here,  and  the  moisture  contained  in 
them  is  thus  precipitated.  I  believe  that  a  few  miles  higher 
up  we  shall  get  out  of  this  atmosphere  altogether.  Still,  the 
ponchos  will  be  very  useful,  for  it  will  be  really  cold  up  in  the 
mountains.  They  serve  for  cloaks  in  the  daytime  and  blank- 
ets at  night.  The  best  are  made  of  the  wool  of  the  guana- 
cos,  a  sort  of  llama.  Their  wool  is  very  fine,  and  before  we 
start  we  will  get  two  of  coarser  wool  to  use  as  blankets  to 
sleep  on,  while  we  have  the  finer  ones  to  cover  us." 

There  was  no  difficulty  in  finding  a  shop  with  the  goods 
they  wanted,  and  the  prices,  even  of  the  best,  were  very  mod- 


HARRYT    AND    BERTIE    INTRODUCE    THEMSELVES    TO    UIAS 


AT  LIMA  4:5 

erate.  They  next  bought  two  soft  felt  hats  with  broad 
brims. 

"  That  is  ever  so  much  more  comfortable.  We  will  wait 
until  to-morrow  before  we  begin  what  we  may  call  business, 
Bertie.  Of  course  I  shall  deliver  the  other  letters  of  intro- 
duction that  Mr.  Barnett  gave  me;  but  the  principal  one — 
that  to  his  former  muleteer- — is  more  important  than  all  put 
together.  If  anything  has  happened  to  him,  there  is  an  end 
of  any  chance  whatever  of  finding  treasure.  Of  course  he 
may  have  moved  away,  or  be  absent  on  a  journey  with  his 
mules,  in  which  case  we  shall  have  either  to  follow  him  or 
wait  for  his  return." 

"  That  would  be  a  frightful  nuisance." 

"  Yes ;  still,  it  is  one  of  the  things  that  we  foresaw  might 
happen." 

"  I  vote  we  go  at  once,  Harry,  and  see  if  he  is  here." 

"I  don't  think  we  shall  find  him  here;  for  Barnett  said 
that  he  lived  in  the  village  of  Miraflores,  five  miles  away  on 
the  north,  and  that  if  he  is  not  there,  Senor  Pasquez,  to 
whom  I  have  a  letter,  will  be  likely  to  tell  me  where  he  is  to 
be  found,  for  he  is  often  employed  by  him.  However,  I 
am  as  anxious  as  you  to  see  him.  As  it  is  only  eleven  o'clock 
yet,  there  is  no  reason  why  we  should  not  go  to  Miraflores. 
They  will  get  mules  for  us  at  the  hotel,  and  tell  us  which 
road  to  take." 

It  was  not  necessary,  however,  to  go  into  the  hotel,  for 
when  they  returned,  two  or  three  men  with  mules  were  wait- 
ing to  be  hired.  They  engaged  two  animals,  and  as  the  man 
of  whom  they  hired  them  had  a  third,  and  he  was  ready  to 
accompany  them  for  a  small  fee,  they  agreed  to  take  him 
with  them. 

Before  they  were  a  mile  out  of  the  town  the  mist  cleared 
off  and  the  sun  shone  brightly.  The  heat,  however,  was  by 
no  means  too  great  to  be  pleasant.  Miraflores  was  a  charm- 
ing village,  or  rather  small  town,  nestling  among  gardens  and 
orchards. 


46  THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  INCAS 

"  I  want  to  find  a  muleteer  named  Dias  Otero,"  Harry  said 
to  their  guide  as  they  rode  into  the  place. 

"  I  know  him  well,"  he  said.  "  Everyone  about  here  knows 
Dias.  His  wife  was  a  cousin  of  my  mother's." 

"  Do  you  know  whether  he  is  at  home  now  ?  " 

"  Yes,  senor ;  I  saw  him  in  Lima  three  days  ago.  He  had 
just  come  down  from  the  mountains.  He  had  been  away 
two  months,  and  certainly  will  not  have  started  again  so 
soon.  Shall  I  lead  you  to  his  house  at  once  ?  " 

"  Do  so ;  it  is  to  see  him  that  I  have  come  to  this  town. 
He  worked  for  a  long  time  with  a  friend  of  mine  some  years 
ago,  and  I  have  brought  a  message  from  him.  I  may  be 
some  time  talking  with  him,  so  when  I  go  in  you  can  tie  up 
your  mules  for  a  while." 

"  That  is  his  house,"  the  man  said  presently. 

It  lay  in  the  outskirts  of  the  town,  and  was  neater  than 
the  generality  of  houses,  and  the  garden  was  a  mass  of 
flowers.  They  dismounted,  handed  over  the  mules  to  their 
owner,  and  walked  to  the  door.  An  Indian  of  some  five- 
and-forty  years  came  out  as  they  did  so. 

"  Are  you  Dias  Otero  ?  "  Harry  asked. 

"  The  same,  senor." 

"I  have  just  arrived  from  England,  and  bring  a  letter 
to  you  from  Senor  Barnett,  with  whom  you  travelled  for 
two  or  three  years  some  time  ago." 

The  man's  face  lit  up  with  pleasure.  "  Will  you  enter, 
senor?  Friends  of  Senor  Barnett  may  command  my  services 
in  any  way.  It  is  a  delight  to  hear  from  him.  He  writes 
to  me  sometimes,  but  in  these  troubles  letters  do  not  always 
come.  I  love  the  senor;  there  never  was  a  kinder  master. 
He  once  saved  my  life  at  the  risk  of  his  own.  Is  there  any 
hope  of  his  coming  out  again  ? " 

"  I  do  not  think  so,  Dias.  He  is  strong  and  well,  but  I 
do  not  think  he  is  likely  to  start  again  on  a  journey  of  ex- 
ploration. He  is  my  greatest  friend.  My  brother  and  I  were 
left  under  his  charge  when  we  were  young,  and  he  has  been 


AT  LIMA  47 

almost  a  father  to  us.  It  is  he  who  has  sent  us  out  to  you. 
Here  is  his  letter." 

"  Will  you  read  it  to  me,  senor.  I  cannot  read ;  I  am 
always  obliged  to  get  somebody  to  read  my  letters,  and  write 
answers  for  me." 

The  letter  was  of  course  in  Spanish,  and  Harry  read : 

"  Dear  friend  Dias, 

"  I  am  sending  out  to  you  a  gentleman,  Mr.  Pren- 
dergast,  an  officer  of  the  British  Navy,  in  whom  I  am  deeply 
interested.  His  brother  accompanies  him.  I  beg  that  you 
will  treat  them  as  you  would  me,  and  every  service  you  can 
render  him  consider  as  rendered  to  myself.  From  a  reason 
which  he  will  no  doubt  explain  to  you  in  time,  it  is  of  the 
deepest  importance  to  him  that  he  should  grow  rich  in  the 
course  of  the  next  two  years.  He  asked  my  advice,  and  I 
said  to  him/  There  is  no  one  I  know  of  who  could  possibly 
put  you  in  the  way  of  so  doing  better  than  my  friend  Bias 
Otero.  I  believe  it  is  in  his  power  to  do  so  if  he  is  willing.' 
I  also  believe  that  for  my  sake  you  will  aid  him.  He  will 
place  himself  wholly  in  your  hands.  He  does  not  care  what 
danger  he  runs,  or  what  hardships  he  has  to  go  through  in 
order  to  attain  his  purpose.  I  know  that  I  need  not  say 
more  to  you.  He  has  two  years  before  him ;  long  before  that 
I  am  sure  you  will  be  as  interested  in  him  as  you  were  in  me. 
He  has  sufficient  means  to  pay  all  expenses  of  travel  for  the 
time  he  will  be  out  there.  I  know  that  you  are  descended 
from  nobles  of  high  rank  at  the  court  of  the  Incas  when 
the  Spaniards  arrived,  and  that  secrets  known  to  but  few 
were  passed  down  from  father  to  son  in  your  family.  If  you 
can  use  any  of  those  secrets  to  the  advantage  of  my  friend, 
I  pray  you  most  earnestly  to  do  so.  I  trust  that  this  letter 
will  find  you  and  your  good  wife  in  health.  Had  I  been  ten 
years  younger  I  would  have  come  out  with  my  friends  to  aid 
them  in  their  adventure,  but  I  know  that  in  putting  them 
into  your  hands  I  shall  be  doing  them  a  vastly  greater  service 
than  I  could  do  were  I  able  to  come  in  person." 


48  THE  TEEASUEE  OF  THE  INCAS 

When  Harry  ceased,  the  Indian  sat  for  some  time  without 
speaking,  then  he  said : 

"  It  is  a  matter  that  I  must  think  over,  senor.  It  is  a  very 
grave  one,  and  had  any  other  man  than  Senor  Barnett  asked 
this  service  of  me  no  money  could  have  tempted  me  to  assent 
to  it.  It  is  not  only  that  my  life  would  be  in  danger,  but 
that  my  name  would  be  held  up  to  execration  by  all  my  people 
were  I  to  divulge  the  secret  that  even  the  tortures  of  the 
Spaniards  could  not  wring  from  us.  I  must  think  it  over 
before  I  answer.  I  suppose  you  are  staying  at  the  Hotel 
Morin ;  I  will  call  and  see  you  when  I  have  thought  the  mat- 
ter over.  It  is  a  grave  question,  and  it  may  be  three  or  four 
days  before  I  can  decide." 

"  I  thank  you,  Dias ;  but  there  is  no  occasion  for  you  to 
give  a  final  decision  now.  Whether  or  no,  we  shall  travel 
for  a  while,  and  I  trust  that  you  will  go  with  us  with  your 
mules  and  be  our  guide,  as  you  did  to  Mr.  Barnett.  It  will 
be  time  enough  when  you  know  us  better  to  give  us  a  final 
answer;  it  is  not  to  be  expected  that  even  for  Senor  Barnett's 
sake  you  would  do  this  immense  service  for  strangers,  there- 
fore I  pray  you  to  leave  the  matter  open.  Make  arrange- 
ments for  your  mules  and  yourself  for  a  three  months'  jour- 
ney in  the  mountains,  show  us  what  there  is  to  see  of  the  gold 
and  silver  placers,  and  the  quicksilver  mines  at  Huanuco.  At 
the  end  of  that  time  you  will  know  us  and  can  say  whether 
you  are  ready  to  aid  us  in  our  search." 

The  native  bowed  his  head  gravely. 

"  I  will  think  it  over,"  he  said ;  "  and  now,  senors,  let  us 
put  that  aside.  My  wife  has  been  busy  since  you  entered 
in  preparing  a  simple  meal,  and  I  ask  you  to  honour  me  by 
partaking  of  it." 

"  With  pleasure,  Dias." 

It  consisted  of  puchero,  a  stew  consisting  of  a  piece  of 
beef,  cabbage,  sweet-potatoes,  salt  pork,  sausage-meat,  pigs' 
feet,  yuccas,  bananas,  quinces,  peas,  rice,  salt,  and  an  abun- 
dance of  Chili  peppers.  This  had  been  cooked  for  six  hours 


AT  LIMA  49* 

and  was  now  warmed  up.  Two  bottles  of  excellent  native 
wine,  a  flask  of  spirits,  and  some  water  were  also  put  on  the 
table.  The  Indian  declined  to  sit  down  with  them,  saying 
that  he  had  taken  a  meal  an  hour  before. 

While  they  ate  he  chatted  with  them,  asking  questions 
of  their  voyage  and  telling  them  of  the  state  of  things  in 
the  country. 

"  It  is  always  the  same,  senors,  there  is  a  revolution  and 
two  or  three  battles;  then  either  the  president  or  the  one 
who  wants  to  be  president  escapes  from  the  country  or  is 
taken  and  shot,  and  in  a  day  or  two  there  is  a  fresh  pronun- 
ciamiento.  We  thought  that  when  the  Spaniards  had  been 
driven  out  we  should  have  had  peace,  but  it  is  not  so;  we 
have  had  San  Martin,  and  Bolivar,  and  Aguero,  and  Santa 
Cruz,  and  Sucre.  Bolivar  again  finally  defeated  the  Span- 
iards at  Ayacucho.  Rodil  held  possession  of  Callao  castle, 
and  defended  it  until  January  of  this  year.  We  in  the  vil- 
lages have  not  suffered — those  who  liked  fighting  went  out 
with  one  or  other  of  the  generals;  some  have  returned,  others 
have  been  killed — but  Lima  has  suffered  greatly.  Sometimes 
the  people  have  taken  one  side,  sometimes  the  other,  and 
though  the  general  they  supported  was  sometimes  victorious 
for  a  short  time,  in  the  end  they  suffered.  Most  of  the  old 
Spanish  families  perished;  numbers  died  in  the  castle  of 
Callao,  where  many  thousands  of  the  best  blood  of  Lima  took 
refuge,  and  of  these  well-nigh  half  died  of  hunger  and  misery 
before  Rodil  surrendered." 

"  But  does  not  this  make  travelling  very  unsafe  ?  " 

The  Indian  shrugged  his  shoulders. 

"Peru  is  a  large  country,  senor,  and  those  who  want  to 
keep  out  of  the  way  of  the  armies  and  fighting  can  do  so; 
I  myself  have  continued  my  occupation  and  have  never  fallen 
in  with  the  armies.  That  is  because  the  fighting  is  princi- 
pally in  the  plains,  or  round  Cuzco;  for  the  men  do  not  go 
into  the  mountains  except  as  fugitives,  as  they  could  not  find 
food  there  for  an  army.  It  is  these  fugitives  who  render  the- 


50  THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  INCAS 

road  somewhat  unsafe;  starving  men  must  take  what  they 
can  get.  They  do  not  interfere  with  the  great  silver  convoys 
from  Potosi  or  other  mines — a  loaf  of  bread  is  worth  more 
than  a  bar  of  silver  in  the  mountains — but  they  will  plunder 
persons  coming  down  with  goods  to  the  town  or  going  up 
with  their  purchases.  Once  or  twice  I  have  had  to  give  up 
the  food  I  carried  with  me,  but  I  have  had  little  to  grumble 
at,  and  I  do  not  think  you  need  trouble  yourself  about  them ; 
we  will  take  care  to  avoid  them  as  far  as  possible." 

After  chatting  for  an  hour  they  left  the  cottage,  and, 
mounting  their  mules,  returned  to  Lima. 

"I  think  he  will  help  us,  Harry,"  Bertie  said  as  soon  as 
they  set  out. 

"  I  think  so  too,  but  we  must  not  press  him  to  begin  with. 
Of  course  there  is  a  question  too  as  to  how  far  he  can  help  us. 
He  may  know  vaguely  where  the  rich  mines  once  existed; 
but  you  must  remember  that  they  have  been  lost  for  three 
hundred  years,  and  it  may  be  impossible  for  even  a  man  who 
has  received  the  traditions  as  to  their  positions  to  hit  upon 
the  precise  spot.  The  mountains,  you  see,  are  tremendous; 
there  must  be  innumerable  ravines  and  gorges  among  them. 
It  is  certain  that  nothing  approaching  an  accurate  map  can 
ever  have  been  made  of  the  mountains,  and  I  should  say  that 
in  most  cases  the  indications  that  may  have  been  given  are 
very  vague.  They  would  no  doubt  have  been  sufficient  for 
those  who  lived  soon  after  the  money  was  hidden,  and  were 
natives  of  that  part  of  the  country  and  thoroughly  acquaint- 
ed with  all  the  surroundings,  but  when  the  information  came 
to  be  handed  down  from  mouth  to  mouth  during  many  gen- 
erations, the  local  knowledge  would  be  lost,  and  what  were  at 
first  detailed  instructions  would  become  little  better  than 
vague  legends.  You  know  how  three  hundred  years  will  alter 
the  face  of  a  country — rocks  roll  down  the  hills,  torrents 
wash  away  the  soil,  forests  grow  or  are  cleared  away.  I  be- 
lieve with  you  that  the  Indian  will  do  his  best,  but  I  have 
grave  doubts  whether  he  will  be  able  to  locate  any  big  thing." 


AT  LIMA  51 

"Well,  you  don't  take  a  very  cheerful  view  of  things, 
Harry;  you  certainly  seemed  more  hopeful  when  we  first 
started." 

"  Yes.  I  don't  say  I  am  not  hopeful  still,  but  it  is  one 
thing  to  plan  out  an  enterprise  at  a  distance  and  quite  an- 
other when  you  are  face  to  face  with  its  execution.  As  we 
have  come  down  the  coast,  and  seen  that  great  range  of 
mountains  stretching  along  for  hundreds  of  miles,  and  we 
know  that  there  is  another  quite  as  big  lying  behind  it,  I 
have  begun  to  realize  the  difficulties  of  the  adventures  that 
we  are  undertaking.  However,  we  shall  hear,  when  Dias 
comes  over  to  see  us,  what  he  thinks  of  the  matter.  I  fancy 
he  will  say  that  he  is  willing  to  go  with  us  and  help  us  as  far 
as  he  can,  but  that  although  he  will  do  his  best  he  cannot 
promise  that  he  will  be  able  to  point  out,  with  anything  like 
certainty,  the  position  of  any  of  the  old  mines." 

Next  day  they  called  on  Senor  Pasquez,  who  received  them 
very  cordially. 

"  So  you  are  going  to  follow  the  example  of  Senor  Barnett 
and  spend  some  time  in  exploring  the  country  and  doing 
some  shooting.  Have  you  found  Dias  ?  " 

"  Yes,  senor,  and  I  think  he  will  go  with  us,  though  he 
has  not  given  a  positive  answer." 

"  You  will  be  fortunate  if  you  get  him ;  he  is  one  of  the 
best-known  muleteers  in  the  country,  and  if  anyone  comes 
here  and  wants  a  guide  Dias  is  sure  to  be  the  first  to  be  recom- 
mended. If  he  goes  with  you  he  can  give  you  much  useful 
advice;  he  knows  exactly  what  you  will  have  to  take  with 
you,  the  best  districts  to  visit  for  your  purpose,  and  the  best 
way  of  getting  there.  For  the  rest,  I  shall  be  very  happy  to 
take  charge  of  any  money  you  may  wish  to  leave  behind,  and 
to  act  as  your  banker  and  cash  any  orders  you  may  draw  upon 
me.  I  will  also  receive  and  place  to  your  account  any  sums 
that  may  be  sent  you  from  England." 

"  That,  sir,  is  a  matter  which  Mr.  Barnett  advised  me  to 
place  in  your  hands.  After  making  what  few  purchases  we 


52  THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  INCAS 

require,  and  taking  fifty  pounds  in  silver,  I  shall  have  two 
hundred  and  fifty  pounds  to  place  in  your  hands.  Mr.  Bar- 
nett  will  manage  my  affairs  in  my  absence,  and  will  send  to 
you  fifty  pounds  quarterly." 

"You  will  find  difficulty  in  spending  it  all  in  two  years," 
the  merchant  said  with  a  smile.  "  If  you  are  content  to  live 
on  what  can  be  bought  in  the  country,  it  costs  very  little; 
and  as  for  the  mules,  they  can  generally  pick  up  enough  at 
their  halting-places  to  serve  them,  with  a  small  allowance 
of  grain.  You  can  hire  them  cheaply,  or  you  can  buy  them. 
The  latter  is  cheaper  in  the  end,  but  you  cannot  be  sure  of 
getting  mules  accustomed  to  mountains,  and  you  would  there- 
fore run  the  risk  of  their  losing  their  foothold,  and  not  only 
being  dashed  to  pieces  but  destroying  their  saddles  and  loads. 
However,  if  you  secure  the  services  of  Dias  Otero,  you  will 
get  mules  that  know  every  path  in  the  mountains.  He  is 
famous  for  his  animals,  and  he  himself  is  considered  the  most 
trusty  muleteer  here;  men  think  themselves  lucky  in  obtain- 
ing his  services.  I  would  send  him  with  loads  of  uncounted 
gold  and  should  be  sure  that  there  would  not  be  a  piece 
missing." 

Next  day  Dias  came  to  the  hotel. 

"  I  have  thought  it  over,  senor,"  he  said.  "  I  need  not  say 
that  were  it  only  ordinary  service,  instead  of  exploring  the 
mountains,  I  should  be  glad  indeed  to  do  my  best  for  a  friend 
of  Senor  Barnett;  but  as  to  the  real  purpose  of  your  journey 
I  wish,  before  making  any  arrangement,  that  the  matter 
should  be  thoroughly  understood.  I  have  no  certain  knowl- 
edge whatever  as  to  any  of  the  lost  mines,  still  less  of  any 
hidden  treasures;  but  I  know  all  the  traditions  that  have 
passed  down  concerning  them.  I  doubt  whether  any  Indians 
now  possess  a  certain  knowledge  of  these  things.  For  gen- 
erations, no  doubt,  the  secrets  were  handed  down  from  father 
to  son,  and  it  is  possible  that  some  few  may  still  know  of 
these  places;  but  I  doubt  it.  Think  of  the  hundreds  and 
thousands  of  our  people  who  have  been  killed  in  battle,  or 


AT  LIMA  53 

died  as  slaves  in  the  mines,  and  you  will  see  that  numbers 
of  those  to  whom  the  secrets  were  entrusted  must  have  taken 
their  knowledge  to  the  grave  with  them. 

"In  each  generation  the  number  of  those  who  knew  the 
particulars  of  these  hiding-places  must  have  diminished. 
Few  now  can  know  more  than  I  do,  yet  I  am  sure  of  nothing. 
I  know  generally  where  the  mines  were  situated  and  where 
some  treasures  were  concealed,  and  what  knowledge  I  have 
I  will  place  at  your  service ;  but  so  great  a  care  was  used  in 
the  concealment  of  the  entrances  to  the  mines,  so  carefully 
were  the  hiding-places  of  the  treasures  chosen,  and  so  cun- 
ningly concealed,  that,  without  the  surest  indications  and 
the  most  minute  instructions,  we  might  search  for  years,  as 
men  indeed  have  done  ever  since  the  Spanish  came  here, 
without  finding  them.  I  am  glad  that  I  can  lay  my  hand 
upon  my  heart  and  say,  that  whatever  may  have  been  pos- 
sessed by  ancestors  of  mine,  no  actual  details  have  ever  come 
down  to  me;  for,  had  it  been  so,  I  could  not  have  revealed 
them  to  you.  We  know  that  all  who  were  instructed  in  these 
were  bound  by  the  most  terrible  oaths  not  to  reveal  them. 
Numbers  have  died  under  the  torture  rather  than  break  those 
oaths;  and  even  now,  were  one  of  us  to  betray  the  secrets 
that  had  come  down  to  him,  he  would  be  regarded  as  accursed. 
No  one  would  break  bread  with  him,  every  door  would  be 
closed  against  him,  and  if  he  died  his  body  would  rot  where 
it  fell.  But  my  knowledge  is  merely  general,  gathered  not 
only  from  the  traditions  known  to  all  our  people,  but  from 
confidences  made  by  one  member  of  our  family  to  another. 
Full  knowledge  was  undoubtedly  given  to  some  of  them ;  but 
all  these  must  have  died  without  initiating  others  into  the 
full  particulars.  Such  knowledge  as  I  have  is  at  your  dis- 
posal. I  can  take  you  to  the  localities,  I  can  say  to  you, 
'  Near  this  place  was  a  great  mine/  but  unless  chance  favours 
you  you  may  search  in  vain." 

"  That  is  quite  as  much  as  I  had  hoped  for,  Dias,  and  I 
am  grateful  for  your  willingness  to  do  what  you  can  for  us, 
just  as  you  did  for  Senor  Barnett." 


THE  TKEASUEE  OF  THE  IKOA8 

CHAPTER  IV 

A    STREET    FRAY 

,  senor,"  Bias  said,  "  as  we  have  settled  the  main 
point,  let  us  talk  over  the  arrangements.  What  is  the 
weight  of  your  baggage  ? " 

"  Not  more  than  a  mule  could  carry.  Of  course  we  shall 
sling  our  rifles  over  our  shoulders.  We  have  a  good  stock 
of  ammunition  for  them  and  for  our  pistols.  We  shall  each 
take  two  suits  of  clothes  besides  those  we  wear,  and  a  case 
of  spirits  in  the  event  of  accident  or  illness.  We  shall  each 
have  three  flannel  shirts,  stockings,  and  so  on,  but  certainly 
everything  belonging  to  us  personally  would  not  mount  up 
to  more  than  a  hundred  and  fifty  pounds.  We  should,  of 
course,  require  a  few  cooking  utensils,  tin  plates,  mugs,  and 
cups.  What  should  we  need  besides  these  ? " 

"  A  tent  and  bedding,  senor.  We  should  only  have,  at  the 
start,  to  carry  such  provisions  as  we  could  not  buy.  When 
we  are  beyond  the  range  of  villages  in  the  forests  we  might 
often  be  weeks  without  being  able  to  buy  anything;  still, 
we  should  probably  be  able  to  shoot  game  for  food.  We 
should  find  fruits,  but  flour  we  shall  have  to  take  with  us 
from  the  last  town  we  pass  through  before  we  strike  into 
the  mountains,  and  dried  meat  for  an  emergency;  and  it 
would  be  well  to  have  a  bag  of  grain,  so  that  we  could  give 
a  handful  or  so  to  each  of  the  mules.  I  am  glad  you  have 
brought  some  good  spirits — we  shall  need  it  in  the  swamps 
by  the  rivers.  Your  tea  and  coffee  will  save  your  having  to 
buy  them  here,  but  you  will  want  some  sugar.  We  must 
take  two  picks  and  a  shovel,  a  hammer  for  breaking  up  ore, 
a  small  furnr.r»e,  twenty  crucibles  and  bellows,  and  a  few 
other  things  for  aiding  to  melt  the  ore.  You  would  want 
for  the  journey  five  baggage  mules,  and,  of  course,  three 
riding  mules.  I  could  hardly  manage  them,  even  with  aid 


A  STKEET  FEAT  55 

from  you,  in  very  bad  places,  and  I  would  rather  not  take 
any  strange  man  with  me  on  such  business  as  we  have  in 
hand.  But  some  assistance  I  must  have,  and  I  will  take  with 
me  my  nephew  Jose.  He  has  lost  his  father,  and  I  have  taken 
him  as  my  assistant,  and  shall  train  him  to  be  a  guide  such 
as  I  am.  He  is  but  fifteen,  but  he  already  knows  something 
of  his  business,  and  such  an  expedition  will  teach  him  more 
than  he  would  learn  in  ten  years  on  the  roads." 

"  That  would  certainly  be  far  better  than  having  a  mule- 
teer whom  you  could  not  trust,  Dias.  My  brother  and  my- 
self will  be  ready  to  lend  you  a  hand  whenever  you  want  help 
of  any  kind.  We  have  not  had  any  experience  with  mules, 
but  sailors  can  generally  turn  their  hands  to  anything.  Now, 
how  about  the  eight  mules  ? " 

"  I  have  five  of  my  own,  as  good  mules  as  are  to  be  found 
in  the  province;  we  shall  have  to  buy  the  three  others  for 
riding.  Of  course  I  have  saddles  and  ropes." 

"  But  you  will  want  four  for  riding." 

"  No,  senor ;  yours  and  the  one  I  ride  will  be  enough.  Jose 
at  times  will  take  my  place,  and  can  when  he  likes  perch  on 
one  of  the  most  lightly  laden  animals." 

"  How  much  will  the  riding  mules  cost  ?  " 

"  I  can  get  fair  ones  for  about  fifty  dollars  apiece ;  trade  is 
slack  at  present  owing  to  the  troubles,  and  there  are  many 
who  would  be  glad  to  get  rid  of  one  or  two  of  their  train." 

"  And  now,  Dias,  we  come  to  the  very  important  question, 
what  are  we  to  pay  you  for  yourself,  your  nephew,  and  the 
five  mules — say  by  the  month  ?  " 

"I  have  been  thinking  the  matter  over,  senor  —  I  have 
talked  it  over  with  my  wife  " — he  paused  for  a  moment,  and 
then  said :  "  She  wishes  to  go  with  me,  senor." 

Harry  opened  his  eyes  in  surprise.  "  But  surely,  Dias,  you 
could  not  think  of  taking  her  on  such  an  expedition,  where, 
as  you  say  yourself,  you  may  meet  with  many  grave  dangers 
and  difficulties?" 

"  A  woman  can  support  them  as  well  as  a  man,"  Dias  said 


56  THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  INCAS 

quietly.  "  My  wife  has  more  than  once  accompanied  me  on 
journeys  when  I  have  been  working  on  contract.  We  have 
been  married  for  fifteen  years,  and  she  has  no  children  to 
keep  her  at  home.  She  is  accustomed  to  my  being  away  for 
weeks.  This  would  be  for  months,  perhaps  for  two  years. 
I  made  no  secret  to  her  that  we  might  meet  with  many  dan- 
gers. She  says  they  will  be  no  greater  for  her  than  for  me. 
At  first  she  tried  to  dissuade  me  from  going  for  so  long  a 
time;  but  when  I  told  her  that  you  were  sent  me  by  the  gen- 
tleman who  saved  my  life  a  year  after  I  married  her,  and 
that  he  had  recommended  you  to  me  as  standing  to  him 
almost  in  the  relation  of  a  son,  and  I  therefore  felt  bound 
to  carry  his  wishes  into  effect,  and  so  to  pay  the  debt  of  grat- 
itude that  I  owed  him,  she  agreed  at  once  that  it  was  my 
duty  to  go  and  do  all  in  my  power  for  you,  and  she  prayed 
me  to  take  her  with  me.  I  said  that  I  would  put  it  before 
you,  senor,  and  that  I  must  abide  by  your  decision." 

"  By  all  means  bring  her  with  you,  Dias.  If  you  and  she 
are  both  willing  to  share  the  dangers  we  should  meet  with, 
surely  we  cannot  object  in  any  way." 

"  Thank  you,  senor ;  you  will  find  her  useful.  You  have 
already  seen  that  she  can  cook  well;  and  if  we  have  Jose  to 
look  after  the  animals  when  we  are  searching  among  the 
hills,  you  will  find  it  not  unpleasant,  when  we  return  of  an 
evening,  to  find  a  hot  supper  ready  for  us." 

"  That  is  quite  true,  and  I  am  sure  we  shall  find  your  wife 
a  great  acquisition  to  our  party.  The  only  difference  will 
be,  that  instead  of  one  large  tent  we  must  have  two  small 
ones — it  does  not  matter  how  small,  so  long  as  we  can  crawl 
into  them  and  they  are  long  enough  for  us  to  lie  down.  And 
now  about  payment  ?  " 

"  I  shall  not  overcharge  you,"  Dias  said  with  a  smile.  "  If 
my  wife  had  remained  behind  I  must  have  asked  for  money 
to  maintain  her  while  we  were  away.  It  would  not  have  been 
much,  for  she  has  her  garden  and  her  house,  and  there  is  a 
bag  hid  away  with  my  savings,  so  that  if  she  had  been 


A  STBEET  FRAY  57 

widowed  she  could  still  live  in  the  house  until  she  chose  some- 
one else  to  share  it  with  her;  she  is  but  thirty- two,  and  is  as 
comely  as  when  I  first  married  her.  However,  as  she  is  going 
with  us,  there  will  be  no  need  to  trouble  about  her.  If  mis- 
fortune comes  upon  us  and  I  am  killed,  it  is  likely  she  will 
be  killed  also.  We  shall  have  no  expenses  on  the  journey, 
as  you  will  pay  for  food  for  ourselves  and  the  animals.  You 
will  remember,  senor,  that  I  make  this  journey  not  as  a  busi- 
ness matter — no  money  would  buy  from  me  any  information 
that  I  may  have  as  to  hidden  mines  or  treasures, — I  do  it  to 
repay  a  debt  of  gratitude  to  my  preserver,  Don  Henry  Bar- 
nett,  and  partly  because  I  am  sure  that  I  shall  like  you  and 
your  brother  as  I  did  him.  I  shall  aid  you  as  far  as  lies  in 
my  power  in  the  object  for  which  you  are  undertaking  this 
journey.  Therefore  until  it  is  finished  there  shall  be  no  talk 
about  payment.  You  may  have  many  expenses  beyond  what 
you  calculate  upon.  If  we  meet  with  no  success,  and  return 
to  Lima  empty-handed,  I  shall  have  lost  nothing.  I  shall 
have  had  no  expenses  at  home,  my  wife  and  I  will  have  fed 
at  your  expense,  and  Jose  will  have  learned  so  much  that  he 
would  be  as  good  a  guide  as  any  in  the  country.  You  could 
then  give  me  the  three  mules  you  will  buy,  to  take  the  place 
of  any  of  mine  that  may  have  perished  on  the  journey,  and 
should  you  have  them  to  spare,  I  will  take  a  hundred  dollars 
as  a  bueno  mano.  If  we  succeed,  and  you  discover  a  rich 
mine  or  a  hidden  treasure,  you  shall  then  pay  me  what  it 
pleases  you.  Is  it  a  bargain  ?  " 

"  The  bargain  you  propose  is  ridiculously  one-sided,  Bias, 
and  I  don't  see  how  I  could  possibly  accept  the  offer  you 
make  to  me." 

"  Those  are  my  terms,  senor,"  Bias  said  simply,  "  to  take 
or  to  leave." 

"  Then  I  cannot  but  accept  them,  and  I  thank  you  most 
heartily ; "  and  he  held  out  his  hand  to  Dias,  and  the  Indian 
grasped  it  warmly. 

"  When  do  you  propose  we  shall  start  ? " 


58  THE  TBEASUBE  OF  THE  INCAS 

"  Will  this  day  week  suit  you,  senor  ?  There  are  the  mules 
to  buy,  and  the  tents  to  be  made — they  should  be  of  vicuna 
skin  with  the  wool  still  on,  which,  with  the  leather  kept  well 
oiled,  will  keep  out  water.  We  shall  want  them  in  the  hills, 
but  we  shall  sometimes  find  villages  where  we  can  sleep  in 
shelter." 

"Not  for  us,  Dias.  Mr.  Barnett  has  told  me  that  the 
houses  are  for  the  most  part  alive  with  fleas,  and  I  should 
prefer  to  sleep  in  a  tent,  however  small,  rather  than  lie  in  a 
bed  on  the  floor  of  any  one  of  them.  We  don't  want  thick 
beds,  you  know — a  couple  of  thicknesses  of  well-quilted  cot- 
ton, say  an  inch  thick  each,  and  two  feet  wide.  You  can  get 
these  made  for  us,  no  doubt." 

The  Indian  nodded. 

"  That  would  be  the  best  for  travel ;  the  beds  the  Peruvian 
caballeros  use  are  very  thick  and  bulky." 

"  You  will  want  two  for  yourself  and  your  wife,  and  two 
for  Jose.  By  the  by,  we  shall  want  a  tent  for  him." 

Dias  smiled.  "It  will  not  be  necessary,  senor;  muleteers 
are  accustomed  to  sleep  in  the  open  air,  and  with  two  thick 
blankets,  and  a  leathern  coverlet  in  case  of  rain,  he  will  be 
more  than  comfortable.  I  shall  have  five  leather  bags  made 
to  hold  the  beds  and  blankets.  But  the  making  of  the  beds 
and  tents  will  take  some  time — people  do  not  hurry  in  Lima, 
— and  there  will  be  the  riding  saddles  and  bridles  to  get,  and 
the  provisions.  I  do  not  think  we  can  be  ready  before  an- 
other week.  It  will  be  well,  then,  that  you  should,  before 
starting  away,  visit  the  ruins  of  Pachacamac.  All  travellers 
go  there,  and  it  will  seem  only  natural  that  you  should  do 
so,  for  there  you  will  see  the  style  of  the  buildings,  and  also 
the  explorations  that  were  everywhere  made  by  the  Spaniards 
in  search  of  treasure." 

"  Very  well,  Dias ;  then  this  day  week  we  shall  be  ready 
to  start.  However,  I  suppose  I  shall  see  you  every  day,  and 
learn  how  you  are  getting  on  with  your  preparations." 

Bertie  had  been  sitting  at  the  window  looking  down  into- 


A   STREET  FRAY  50 

the  street  while  this  conversation  was  going  on.  "  Well, 
what  is  it  all  about  ? "  he  asked,  turning  round  as  the  Indian 
left  the  room.  "  Is  it  satisfactory  ? " 

"  More  than  satisfactory,"  his  brother  answered.  "  In  the 
first  place  his  nephew,  a  lad  of  fifteen,  who  is  training  as  a 
mule-driver,  is  going  with  us,  which  is  much  better  than  get- 
ting an  outsider;  in  the  next  place  his  wife  is  going  with  us." 

"  Good  gracious !  "  Bertie  exclaimed,  "  what  in  the  world 
shall  we  do  with  a  woman  ?  " 

"  Well,  I  think  we  shall  do  very  well  with  her,  Bertie;  but 
well  or  ill  she  has  to  go.  She  will  not  let  her  husband  go 
without  her,  which  is  natural  enough,  considering  how  long 
we  shall  be  away,  and  that  the  journey  will  be  a  dangerous 
one.  But  really  I  think  she  will  be  an  acquisition  to  the 
party.  She  is  bright  and  pretty,  as  you  no  doubt  noticed, 
and  what  is  of  more  importance,  she  is  a  capital  cook." 

"  She  certainly  gave  us  a  good  meal  yesterday,"  Bertie 
said,  "  and  though  I  could  rough  it  on  anything,  it  is  de- 
cidedly pleasanter  to  have  a  well-cooked  meal." 

"  Well,  you  see,  that  is  all  right." 

"  And  how  many  mules  are  we  to  take  ?  " 

"  Five  for  baggage,  and  three  for  riding.  I  have  no  doubt 
Bias's  wife  will  ride  behind  him,  and  the  boy,  when  he  wants 
to  ride,  will  perch  himself  on  one  of  the  baggage  mules.  Dias 
has  five  mules,  and  we  shall  only  have  to  buy  the  three  for 
riding." 

"  What  is  it  all  going  to  cost,  Harry  ? "  Bertie  said  when 
his  brother  had  told  him  all  the  arrangements  that  had  been 
made.  "  That  is  the  most  important  point  after  all." 

"  Well,  you  will  be  astonished  when  I  tell  you,  Bertie,  that 
if  we  don't  succeed  in  finding  a  treasure  of  any  kind  I  shall 
only  have  to  pay  for  the  three  riding  mules,  and  the  expenses 
of  food  and  so  on,  and  a  hundred  dollars." 

"  Twenty  pounds !  "  Bertie  said  incredulously ;  "  you  are 
joking !  " 

"!No.  it  is  really  so;  the  man  said  that  he  considered  that 


60  THE  TKEASUEE  OF  THE  INCAS 

in  going  with  me  he  is  only  fulfilling  the  obligation  he  is 
under  to  Mr.  Barnett.  Of  course  I  protested  against  the 
terms,  and  would  have  insisted  upon  paying  the  ordinary 
prices,  whatever  they  might  be,  for  his  services  and  the  use 
of  his  mules;  but  he  simply  said  that  those  were  the  condi- 
tions on  which  he  was  willing  to  go  with  me,  and  that  I  could 
take  them  or  leave  them,  so  I  had  to  accept.  I  can  only  hope 
that  we  may  find  some  treasure,  in  which  case  only  he  con- 
sented to  accept  proper  payment  for  his  services." 

"  Well,  it  is  awfully  good  of  him,"  Bertie  said ;  "  though 
really  it  doesn't  seem  fair  that  we  should  be  having  the  ser- 
vices of  himself,  his  wife,  his  boy,  and  his  mules  for  nothing. 
There  is  one  thing,  it  will  be  an  extra  inducement  to  him  to 
try  and  put  us  in  the  way  of  finding  one  of  those  mines." 

"  I  don't  think  so,  Bertie ;  he  said  that  not  for  any  sum 
of  money  whatever  would  he  do  what  he  is  going  to  do,  but 
simply  from  gratitude  to  Barnett.  It  is  curious  how  the  tra- 
ditions, or  superstitions,  or  whatever  you  like  to  call  them, 
of  the  time  of  the  Incas  have  continued  to  impress  the 
Indians,  and  how  they  have  preserved  the  secrets  confided 
to  their  ancestors.  No  doubt  fear  that  the  Spaniards  would 
force  them  to  work  in  the  mines  till  they  died  has  had  a  great 
effect  in  inducing  them  to  conceal  the  existence  of  these 
places  from  them.  Now  that  the  Spaniards  have  been  cleared 
out  there  is  no  longer  any  ground  for  apprehension  of  that 
kind,  but  they  may  still  feel  that  the  Peruvians  would  get 
the  giant's  share  in  any  mine  or  treasure  that  might  be  found, 
and  that  the  Indians  would,  under  one  pretence  or  another, 
be  defrauded  out  of  any  share  of  it.  It  is  not  wonderful  that 
it  should  be  so  considering  how  these  poor  people  have  been 
treated  by  the  whites,  and  it  would  really  seem  that  the  way 
in  which  Spain  has  gone  to  the  dogs  is  a  punishment  for  her 
cruelties  in  South  America  and  the  Islands.  It  may  be  sa;d 
that  from  the  very  moment  when  the  gold  began  to  flow  the 
descent  of  Spain  commenced;  in  spite  of  the  enormous 
wealth  she  acquired  she  fell  gradually  from  her  position  as 
the  greatest  power  in  Europe. 


A  STREET  FEAT  61 

"In  1525,  after  the  battle  of  Pavia,  Spain  stood  at  the 
height  of  her  power.  Mexico  was  conquered  by  Cortez  seven 
years  before,  Peru  in  1531,  and  the  wealth  of  those  countries 
began  to  flow  into  Spain  in  enormous  quantities,  and  yet  her 
decline  followed  speedily.  She  was  bearded  by  our  bucaneers 
among  the  Islands  and  on  the  western  coast ;  the  Netherlands 
revolted,  and  after  fierce  fighting  threw  off  her  yoke;  the 
battle  of  Ivry  and  the  accession  of  Henry  of  Navarre  all  but 
destroyed  her  influence  in  France;  the  defeat  of  the  Armada 
and  the  capture  of  Cadiz  struck  a  fatal  blow  both  to  her 
power  on  the  sea  and  to  her  commerce,  and  within  a  century 
of  the  conquest  of  Peru,  Spain  was  already  an  enfeebled  and 
decaying  power.  It  would  almost  seem  that  the  discoveries 
of  Columbus,  from  which  such  great  things  were  hoped, 
proved  in  the  long  run  the  greatest  misfortune  that  ever 
befell  Spain." 

"  It  does  look  like  it,  Harry ;  however,  we  must  hope  that 
whatever  effect  the  discovery  of  America  had  upon  Portugal 
or  Spain,  it  will  make  your  fortune." 

Harry  laughed. 

"  I  hope  so,  Bertie,  but  it  is  as  well  not  to  be  too  hopeful. 
Still,  I  have  great  faith  in  Dias,  at  any  rate  I  feel  confident 
that  he  will  do  all  he  can ;  but  he  acknowledges  that  he  knows 
nothing  for  certain.  I  am  sure,  however,  that  he  will  be  a 
faithful  guide,  and  that  though  we  may  have  a  rough  time, 
it  will  not  be  an  unpleasant  one.  Now,  you  must  begin  to 
turn  to  account  what  Spanish  you  have  learned  during  the 
voyage;  I  know  you  have  worked  regularly  at  it  while  you 
have  not  been  on  duty." 

"  I  have  learned  a  good  lot,"  Bertie  said ;  "  and  I  dare  say 
I  could  ask  for  anything,  but  I  should  not  understand  the 
answers.  I  can  make  out  a  lot  of  that  Spanish  Don  Quixote 
you  got  for  me,  but  when  Dias  was  talking  to  you  I  did  not 
catch  a  word  of  what  he  was  saying.  I  suppose  it  will  all 
come  in  time." 

"  But  you  must  begin  at  once.    I  warn  you  that  when  I  am 


62  THE  TEEASUEE  OF  THE  INCAS 

fairly  off  I  shall  always  talk  to  you  in  Spanish,  for  it  would 
look  very  unsociable  if  we  were  always  talking  together  in 
English.  If  you  ride  or  walk  by  the  side  of  the  boy  you 
will  soon  get  on;  and  there  will  be  Donna  Maria  for  you  to 
chat  away  with,  and  from  what  we  saw  of  her  I  should  say 
she  is  sociably  inclined.  In  three  months  I  have  no  doubt 
you  will  talk  Spanish  as  well  as  I  do." 

"  It  will  be  a  horrid  nuisance,"  Bertie  grumbled ;  "  but  I 
suppose  it  has  got  to  be  done." 

Three  days  later  Dias  said  he  thought  they  might  as  well 
start  the  next  day  to  Pachacamac. 

"  We  shall  only  want  the  three  riding  mules  and  one  for 
baggage.  Of  course  we  shall  not  take  Jose  or  my  wife.  By 
the  time  we  return  everything  will  be  ready  for  us." 

"  I  shall  be  very  glad  to  be  off,  Dias.  We  know  no  one  here 
except  Senor  Pasquez;  and  although  he  has  been  very  civil 
and  has  begged  us  to  consider  his  house  as  our  own,  he  is  of 
course  busy  during  the  day,  and  one  can't  do  above  a  certain 
amount  of  walking  about  the  streets.  So  by  all  means  let 
us  start  to-morrow  morning.  We  may  as  well  go  this  time 
in  the  clothes  we  wear,  it  will  be  time  enough  to  put  on  the 
things  we  have  bought  when  we  start  in  earnest." 

Starting  at  sunrise,  they  rode  for  some  distance  through 
a  fertile  valley,  and  then  crossed  a  sandy  plain  until  they 
reached  the  little  valley  of  Lurin,  in  which  stand  the  ruins 
of  Pachacamac.  This  was  the  sacred  city  of  the  natives  of 
the  coast  before  their  conquest  by  the  Incas.  During  their 
forty-mile  ride  Dias  had  told  them  something  of  the  place 
they  were  about  to  visit.  Pachacamac,  meaning  "  the  crea- 
tor of  the  world,"  was  the  chief  divinity  of  these  early  people, 
and  here  was  the  great  temple  dedicated  to  him.  The  Incas 
after  their  conquest  erected  a  vast  Temple  of  the  Sun,  but 
they  did  not  attempt  to  suppress  the  worship  of  Pachacamac, 
and  the  two  flourished  side  by  side  until  the  arrival  of  the 
Spaniards.  The  wealth  of  the  temple  was  great;  the  Span- 
iards carried  away  among  their  spoils  one  thousand  six  hun- 


A  STKEET  FEAT  63 

dred  and  eighty-seven  pounds  of  gold  and  one  thousand  six 
hundred  ounces  of  silver;  but  with  all  their  efforts  they 
failed  to  discover  the  main  treasure,  said  to  have  been  no 
less  than  twenty-four  thousand  eight  hundred  pounds  of  gold, 
which  had  been  carried  away  and  buried  before  their  arrival. 

"If  the  Spaniards  could  not  succeed  in  getting  at  the 
hiding-place,  although,  no  doubt,  they  tortured  everyone  con- 
nected with  the  temple  to  make  them  divulge  the  secret,  it 
is  evident  there  is  no  chance  for  us,"  Harry  said. 

"  Yes,  senor,  they  made  every  effort ;  thousands  of  natives 
were  employed  in  driving  passages  through  the  terraces  on 
which  the  temple  stood.  I  believe  that  they  did  find  much 
treasure,  but  certainly  not  the  great  one  they  were  searching 
for.  There  is  no  tradition  among  our  people  as  to  the 
hiding-place,  for  so  many  of  the  natives  perished  that  all 
to  whom  the  secret  was  known  must'  have  died  without  re- 
vealing it  to  anybody.  Had  it  not  been  so,  the  Spaniards 
would  sooner  or  later  have  learned  it,  for  although  hundreds 
have  died  under  torture  rather  than  reveal  any  of  the  hiding- 
places,  surely  one  more  faint-hearted  than  the  rest  would 
have  disclosed  them.  Certain  it  is  that  at  Cuzco  and  other 
places  they  succeeded  in  obtaining  almost  all  the  treasures 
buried  there,  though  they  failed  in  discovering  the  still 
greater  treasures  that  had  been  carried  away  to  be  hidden 
in  different  spots.  But  Pachacamac  was  a  small  one  in  com- 
parison with  Cuzco,  and  it  was  believed  that  the  treasures 
had  not  been  carried  far.  Tradition  has  it  that  they  were 
buried  somewhere  between  this  town  and  Lima.  Doubtless 
all  concerned  in  the  matter  fled  before  the  Spaniards  arrived, 
at  any  rate  with  all  their  cruelty  the  invaders  never  discov- 
ered its  position.  The  report  that  it  was  buried  near  may 
have  been  set  about  to  prevent  their  hunting  for  it  elsewhere, 
and  the  gold  may  be  lying  now  somewhere  in  the  heart  of  the 
mountains." 

Harry  Prendergast  and  his  brother  looked  in  astonishment 
at  the  massive  walls  that  rose  around  the  eminence  on  which 


64  THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  INOAS 

the  temple  had  stood.  The  latter  had  disappeared,  but  its 
situation  could  be  traced  on  the  plateau  buttressed  by  the 
walls.  These  were  of  immense  thickness,  and  formed  of  huge 
adobe  bricks  almost  as  hard  as  stone;  even  the  long  efforts 
of  the  Spaniards  had  caused  but  little  damage  to  them.  The 
plateau  rose  some  five  hundred  feet  above  the  sea,  which 
almost  washed  one  face  of  it.  Half-way  up  the  hill  four 
series  of  these  massive  walls,  whose  tops  formed  terraces, 
stood  in  giant  steps  some  fifty  feet  high.  Here  and  there 
spots  of  red  paint  could  be  seen,  showing  that  the  whole  sur- 
face was  originally  painted.  The  ascent  was  made  by  wind- 
ing passages  through  the  walls.  On  the  side  of  the  upper 
area  facing  the  sea  could  be  seen  the  remains  of  a  sort  of 
walk  or  esplanade,  with  traces  of  edifices  of  various  kinds. 
On  a  hill  a  mile  and  a  half  away  were  the  remains  of  the 
Incas'  temple  and  nunnery,  the  style  differing  materially 
from  that  of  the  older  building;  it  was  still  more  damaged 
than  the  temple  on  the  hill  by  the  searchers  for  treasure. 

Pachacamac  was  the  most  sacred  spot  in  South  America, 
vast  numbers  of  pilgrims  came  here  from  all  points.  The 
city  itself  had  entirely  disappeared,  covered  deeply  in  sand, 
but  for  a  long  distance  round,  it  had,  like  the  neighbourhood 
of  Jerusalem  and  Mecca,  been  a  vast  cemetery,  and  a  small 
amount  of  excavation  showed  the  tombs  of  the  faithful,  oc- 
cupied in  most  cases  by  mummies. 

"We  will  ride  across  to  the  Incas'  temple.  There  is  not 
much  to  see  there,  but  it  is  as  well  that  you  should  look  at 
the  vaults  in  which  the  treasures  were  hid.  There  are  simi- 
lar places  at  Cuzco  and  several  of  the  other  ruins." 

"It  may  certainly  be  useful  to  see  them,"  Harry  agreed, 
and  they  rode  across  the  plain.  Leaving  their  mules  outside 
they  entered  the  ruins.  The  Indian  led  them  into  some 
underground  chambers.  He  had  brought  a  torch  with  him, 
and  this  he  now  lit. 

"You  have  to  be  careful  or  you  might  otherwise  tumble 
into  one  of  these  holes  and  break  a  limb;  and  in  that  case,, 


A  STBEET  FEAT  65 

if  you  were  here  by  yourselves,  you  would  certainly  never 
get  out  again." 

They  came  upon  several  of  these  places.  The  openings 
were  sometimes  square  and  sometimes  circular,  and  had 
doubtless  been  covered  with  square  stones.  They  were  dug 
out  of  the  solid  ground.  For  about  six  feet  the  sides  of  the 
pit  were  perpendicular;  in  some  it  swelled  out  like  a  great 
vase  with  a  broad  shoulder,  in  others  it  became  a  square 
chamber  of  some  size. 

"  Some  of  these  places  were  no  doubt  meant  to  store  grain 
and  other  provisions,"  the  Indian  said,  "  some  were  undoubt- 
edly treasuries." 

"  Awkward  places  to  find,"  Harry  said ;  "  one  might  spend 
a  lifetime  in  searching  for  them  in  only  one  of  these  temples." 

"  They  were  the  last  places  we  should  think  of  searching," 
Bias  said.  "  For  years  the  Spaniards  kept  thousands  of  men 
at  work.  I  do  not  say  that  there  may  not  be  some  few  places 
that  have  escaped  the  searchers,  but  what  they  could  not 
with  their  host  of  workers  find  certainly  could  not  be  found 
by  four  or  five  men.  It  is  not  in  the  temples  that  the  Incas' 
wealth  has  been  hidden,  but  in  caves,  in  deep  mountain 
gorges,  and  possibly  in  ruins  on  the  other  side  of  the  moun- 
tains where  even  the  Spaniards  never  penetrated.  There  are 
such  places.  I  know  of  one  to  which  I  will  take  you  if  our 
search  fails  elsewhere.  It  is  near  the  sea,  and  yet  there  are 
not  half  a  dozen  living  men  who  have  ever  seen  it,  so  strangely 
is  it  hidden.  Tradition  says  that  it  was  not  the  work  of  the 
Incas,  but  of  the  people  before  them.  I  have  never  seen  it 
close.  It  is  guarded,  they  say,  by  demons,  and  no  native 
would  go  within  miles  of  it.  The  traditions  are  that  the 
Incas,  when  they  conquered  the  land,  found  the  place  and 
searched  it,  after  starving  out  the  native  chief  who  had  fled 
there  with  his  followers  and  family.  Some  say  that  they 
found  great  treasure  there,  others  that  they  discovered  noth- 
ing; all  agree  that  a  pestilence  carried  off  nearly  all  those 
who  had  captured  it.  Others  went,  and  they  too  died,  and 


66  THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  IXCAS 

the  place  was  abandoned  as  accursed,  and  in  time  its  very  ex- 
istence became  forgotten;  though  some  say  that  members  of 
the  tribe  have  always  kept  watch  there,  and  that  those  who 
carelessly  or  curiously  approached  it  have  always  met  with 
their  death  in  strange  ways.  Although  I  am  a  Christian,  and 
have  been  taught  to  disbelieve  the  superstitions  of  my  coun- 
trymen, I  would  not  enter  it  on  any  condition." 

"  If  we  happen  to  be  near  it  I  shall  certainly  take  a  close 
look  at  it,"  Harry  said  with  a  laugh.  "I  don't  fancy  we 
should  see  anything  that  our  rifles  and  pistols  would  find 
invulnerable." 

It  was  getting  dark  by  the  time  they  had  finished  their 
inspection  of  the  rooms,  so,  riding  two  or  three  miles  away, 
they  encamped  in  a  grove  up  the  valley.  Next  morning  they 
returned  to  Lima.  Dias  had  given  out  that  the  two  white 
senors  intended  to  visit  all  the  ruined  temples  of  the  Incas, 
and  as  other  travellers  had  done  the  same  their  intention 
excited  neither  surprise  nor  comment. 

On  the  following  evening  after  dark  Harry  and  his  brother 
were  returning  from  the  house  of  Senor  Pasquez. 

"  It  is  a  pleasant  house,"  Harry  said ;  "  the  girls  are  pretty 
and  nice,  they  play  and  sing  well,  and  are  really  charming. 
But  what  a  contrast  it  was  the  other  morning  when  we  went 
in  there  and  accidentally  ran  against  them  when  we  were 
going  upstairs  with  their  father,  utterly  untidy,  and,  in  fact, 
regular  sluts — a  maid  of  all  work  would  look  a  picture  of 
neatness  beside  them." 

Bertie  was  about  to  answer,  when  there  was  an  outburst 
of  shouts  from  a  wine-shop  they  were  passing,  and  in  a  mo- 
ment the  door  burst  open  and  half  a  dozen  men  engaged  in 
a  fierce  conflict  rushed  out.  Knives  were  flashing,  and  it  was 
evident  that  one  man  was  being  attacked  by  the  rest.  By 
the  light  that  streamed  out  of  the  open  door  they  saw  that 
the  man  attacked  was  Dias.  It  flashed  across  Harry's  mind 
that  if  this  man  was  killed  there  was  an  end  to  all  hope  of 
success  in  their  expedition. 


A  STKEET  FKAY  67 

"Dash  in  to  his  rescue,  Bertie,"  he  cried;  "but  whatever 
you  do,  mind  their  knives." 

With  a  shout  he  sprang  forward  and  struck  to  the  ground 
a  man  who  was  dodging  behind  Dias  with  uplifted  knife, 
while  Bertie  leapt  on  to  the  back  of  another,  the  shock  throw- 
ing the  man  down  face  forward.  Bertie  was  on  his  feet  in 
a  moment,  and  brought  the  stick  he  carried  with  all  his  force 
down  on  the  man's  head  as  he  tried  to  rise.  Then,  springing 
forward  again,  he  struck  another  man  a  heavy  blow  on  the 
wrist.  The  knife  dropped  from  the  man's  hand,  and  as  he 
dashed  with  a  fierce  oath  upon  Bertie  the  stick  descended 
again,  this  time  on  his  head,  and  felled  him  to  the  ground. 
In  the  meantime  one  of  the  assailants  had  turned  fiercely  on 
Harry  and  aimed  a  blow  at  him  with  his  knife ;  but  with  the 
ease  of  a  practised  boxer  Harry  stepped  back,  and  before  the 
man  could  again  raise  the  knife  he  leaped  in  and  struck  him 
a  tremendous  blow  on  the  point  of  his  chin.  The  fifth  man 
took  to  his  heels  immediately.  The  other  four  lay  where 
they  had  fallen,  evidently  fearing  they  would  be  stabbed 
should  they  try  to  get  on  to  their  feet. 

"  Are  you  hurt,  Dias  ? "  Harry  exclaimed. 

"I  have  several  cuts,  senor,  but  none  of  them,  I  think, 
serious.  You  have  saved  my  life." 

"Never  mind  that  now,  Dias.  What  shall  we  do  with 
these  fellows — hand  them  over  to  the  watch  ?  " 

"  No,  senor,  that  would  be  the  last  thing  to  do ;  we  might 
be  detained  here  for  months.  I  will  take  all  their  knives 
and  let  them  go." 

"  Here  are  two  of  them,"  Bertie  said,  picking  up  those  of 
the  men  he  had  struck. 

Dias  stood  over  the  man  Harry  had  first  knocked  down, 
and  with  a  fierce  whisper  ordered  him  to  give  up  his  knife, 
which  he  did  at  once.  The  other  was  still  stupid  from  the 
effect  of  the  blow  and  his  fall,  and  Dias  had  only  to  take  his 
knife  from  his  relaxed  fingers. 

"  Now,  senor,  let  us  be  going  before  anyone  conies  along." 


68  THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  INCAS 

"  What  was  it  all  about,  Dias  ? "  Harry  asked  as  he  walked 
away. 

"  Many  of  the  muleteers  are  jealous,  senor,  because  I  always 
get  what  they  consider  the  best  jobs.  I  had  gone  into  the 
wine-shop  for  a  glass  of  pulque  before  going  round  to  see 
that  the  mules  were  all  right.  As  I  was  drinking,  these  men 
whispered  together,  and  then  one  came  up  to  me  and  began 
to  abuse  me,  and  directly  I  answered  him  the  whole  of  them 
drew  their  knives  and  rushed  at  me.  I  was  ready  too,  and 
wounded  two  of  them  as  I  fought  my  way  to  the  door.  As  I 
opened  it  one  of  them  stabbed  me  in  the  shoulder,  but  it  was 
a  slanting  blow.  Once  out  they  all  attacked  me  at  once,  and 
in  another  minute  you  would  have  had  to  look  for  another 
muleteer.  "Tis  strange,  senors,  that  you  should  have  saved 
my  life  as  Mr.  Barnett  did.  It  was  a  great  deed  to  risk  your 
lives  with  no  weapons  but  your  sticks  against  five  ruffians 
with  their  knives." 

"  I  did  not  use  my  stick,"  Harry  said.  "  I  am  more  accus- 
tomed to  use  my  fists  than  a  stick,  and  can  hit  as  hard  with 
them,  as  you  saw.  But  my  brother's  stick  turned  out  the 
most  useful.  He  can  box  too,  but  cannot  give  as  heavy  a 
blow  as  I  can.  Still,  it  was  very  lucky  that  I  followed  your 
advice,  and  bought  a  couple  of  heavy  sticks  to  carry  with  us 
if  we  should  go  out  after  dark.  Now  you  had  better  come  to 
the  hotel,  and  I  will  send  for  a  surgeon  to  dress  your  wound." 

"  It  is  not  necessary,  senor ;  my  wife  is  waiting  for  me  in 
my  room,  she  arrived  this  afternoon.  Knife  cuts  are  not 
uncommon  affairs  here,  and  she  knows  quite  enough  to  be 
able  to  bandage  them." 

"  At  any  rate  we  shall  have  to  put  off  our  start  for  a  few 
days." 

"Not  at  all,  senor;  a  bandage  to-night  and  a  few  strips 
of  plaster  in  the  morning  will  do  the  business.  I  shall  be 
stiff  for  a  few  days,  but  that  will  not  interfere  with  my  rid- 
ing, and  Jose  will  be  able  to  load  and  unload  the  mules,  if 
you  will  give  him  a  little  assistance.  Adios !  and  a  thousand 
thanks." 


A  STBEET  FEAT  69 

"  That  was  a  piece  of  luck,  Bertie,"  Harry  said  when  they 
had  reached  their  room  in  the  hotel.  "  In  the  first  place, 
because  neither  of  us  got  a  scratch,  and  in  the  second,  be- 
cause it  will  bind  Dias  more  closely  to  us.  Before,  he  was 
willing  to  assist  us  for  Barnett's  sake,  now  it  will  be  for  our 
own  also,  and  we  may  be  quite  sure  that  he  will  do  his  best 
for  us." 

"  It  is  my  first  scrimmage,"  Bertie  said,  "  and  I  must  say 
that  I  thought,  as  we  ran  in,  that  it  was  going  to  be  a  pretty 
serious  one.  We  have  certainly  come  very  well  out  of  it." 

"  It  was  short  and  sharp,"  Harry  laughed.  "  I  have  always 
held  that  the  man  who  could  box  well  was  more  than  a  match 
for  one  with  a  knife  who  knew  nothing  of  boxing.  One 
straight  hit  from  the  shoulder  is  sure  to  knock  him  out  of 
time." 

Next  morning  Dias  and  his  wife  came  up  early.  The 
former  had  one  arm  in  a  sling.  As  they  entered,  the  woman 
ran  forward,  and,  throwing  her  arms  round  Bertie,  she  kissed 
him  on  both  cheeks.  The  lad  was  too  much  surprised  at  this 
unexpected  salute  to  return  it,  as  his  brother  did  when  she 
did  the  same  to  him.  Then,  drawing  back,  she  poured  out 
her  thanks  volubly,  the  tears  running  down  her  cheeks. 

"  Maria  asked  me  if  she  might  kiss  you,"  Dias  said  gravely 
when  she  stopped.  "  I  said  that  it  was  right  that  she  should 
do  so,  for  do  we  not  both  owe  you  my  life  ? " 

"  You  must  not  make  too  much  of  the  affair,  Dias ;  four 
blows  were  struck,  and  there  was  an  end  to  it." 

"  A  small  matter  to  you,  senor,  but  a  great  one  to  us.  A 
Peruvian  would  not  interfere  if  he  saw  four  armed  men  at- 
tacking one.  He  would  be  more  likely  to  turn  down  the  next 
street,  so  that  he  might  not  be  called  as  a  witness.  It  is  only 
your  countrymen  who  would  do  such  things." 

"  And  you  still  think  that  you  will  be  ready  to  start  the 
day  after  to-morrow  ?  " 

"  Quite  sure,  senor.  My  shoulder  will  be  stiff  and  my  arm 
in  a  sling  for  a  week,  but  muleteers  think  nothing  of  such 
trifles, — a  kick  from  a  mule  would  be  a  much  more  serious 
affair." 


70  THE  TKEASUEE  OF  THE  INCAS 

"  You  don't  think  those  rascals  are  likely  to  waylay  us  on 
the  road,  and  take  their  revenge  ? " 

"  Not  they,  senor.  If  you  could  do  such  things  unarmed, 
what  could  you  not  do  when  you  had  rifles  and  pistols  ?  The 
matter  is  settled.  They  have  not  been  seriously  hurt.  If 
one  of  them  had  been  killed  I  should  be  obliged  to  be  careful 
the  next  time  I  came  here ;  as  it  is,  no  more  will  be  said  about 
it.  Except  the  two  hurt  in  the  wine-shop  they  will  not  even 
have  a  scar  to  remind  them  of  it.  In  two  years  they  will 
have  other  things  to  think  about,  if  it  is  true  that  Colombia 
means  to  go  to  war  with  Chili." 

"  What  is  the  quarrel  about,  Dias  ?  " 

"  The  Colombians  helped  us  to  get  rid  of  the  Spaniards, 
but  ever  since  they  have  presumed  a  right  to  manage  affairs 
here." 

"  Perhaps  nothing  will  come  of  it." 

"  Well,  it  is  quite  certain  that  there  is  no  very  good  feeling 
between  Chili,  Bolivia,  Colombia,  and  Peru." 

"  I  suppose  they  will  be  fighting  all  round  some  day  ?  " 

"  Yes,  and  it  will  interfere  with  my  business.  Certainly 
we  are  better  off  than  when  the  Spaniards  were  here;  but 
the  taxes  are  heavy,  and  things  don't  go  as  people  expected 
they  would  when  we  got  rid  of  the  Spaniards.  All  the  gov- 
ernments seem  jealous  of  each  other.  I  don't  take  any  inter- 
est in  these  matters  except  so  far  as  they  interfere  with  trade. 
If  every  man  would  attend  to  his  own  affairs  it  would  be 
better  for  us  all." 

"  I  suppose  so,  Dias ;  but  one  can  hardly  expect  a  country 
that  has  been  so  many  years  governed  by  a  foreign  power  to 
get  accustomed  all  at  once  to  governing  itself." 

"  Now,  senor,  I  shall  be  glad  if  you  will  go  with  me  and 
look  at  the  stores  that  are  already  collected.  I  think  you 
will  find  that  everything  is  ready." 


AMONG  THE  MOUNTAIN'S  71 

CHAPTEK  V 

AMONG  THE  MOUNTAINS 

TWO  days  later  the  mules  were  brought  round  to  the  door 
at  sunrise,  and  Harry  and  his  brother  sallied  out  from 
the  hotel,  dressed  for  the  first  time  in  the  Peruvian  costume. 
They  were  both  warmly  clothed.  On  their  heads  were  felt 
hats  with  broad  brims,  which  could  be  pulled  down  and  tied 
over  the  ears,  both  for  warmth  and  to  prevent  their  being 
blown  away  by  the  fierce  winds  that  sweep  down  the  gorges. 
A  thick  poncho  of  llama  wool  fell  from  their  shoulders  to 
their  knees,  and  loosely  tied  round  their  necks  were  thick  and 
brightly  coloured  scarves.  They  wore  high  boots,  and  car- 
ried large  knives  stuck  in  a  strap  below  the  knee.  The  rifles 
were  fastened  at  the  bow  of  their  saddles,  and  their  wallets, 
with  provisions  for  the  day,  were  strapped  behind.  By  the 
advice  of  Dias  each  had  in  his  pocket  a  large  pair  of  green 
goggles,  to  protect  their  eyes  from  the  glare  of  sun  and  snow. 
They  tied  these  on  before  coming  downstairs,  and  both  agreed 
that  had  they  met  unexpectedly  in  the  street  they  would  have 
passed  each  other  without  the  slightest  recognition. 

"  It  is  a  pity,  Harry,"  Bertie  said  seriously,  "  that  you  did 
not  have  your  portrait  taken  to  send  home  to  a  certain  young 
lady.  You  see,  she  would  then  have  been  able  to  hang  it  up 
in  her  room  and  worship  it  privately,  without  anyone  having 
the  slightest  idea  that  it  was  her  absent  lover." 

"You  young  scamp,"  Harry  said,  "I  will  pull  your  ears 
for  you." 

"  If  you  attempt  anything  of  the  sort,  I  shall  tie  the  brim 
of  my  hat  tightly  over  them.  I  really  think  it  is  very  un- 
grateful of  you  not  to  take  my  advice  in  the  spirit  ih  which 
I  gave  it." 

"  If  you  intend  to  go  on  like  this,  Bert,  I  shall  leave  you 
behind." 


72          THE  TBEASUBE  OP  THE  INCAS 

"  You  can't  do  it." 

"  Oh,  yes,  I  can !  I  might  give  you  in  charge  for  some 
crime  or  other;  and  in  lack  of  evidence,  the  expenditure  of 
a  few  dollars  would,  I  have  no  doubt,  be  sufficient  to  induce 
the  judge,  magistrate,  or  whatever  they  call  him,  to  give  you 
six  months'  imprisonment." 

"  Then  you  are  an  unnatural  brother,  and  I  will  make  no 
more  suggestions  for  your  good." 

So  they  had  come  downstairs  laughing,  though  feeling  a 
little  shy  at  their  appearance  as  they  issued  out  of  the  court- 
yard. Speedily,  however,  they  gained  courage  as  they  saw 
that  passers-by  paid  no  attention  to  them. 

They  had  spent  the  previous  afternoon  in  packing  the  bun- 
dles, in  which  every  item  was  put  away  so  that  it  could  be 
got  at  readily,  and  in  making  sure  that  nothing  had  been 
omitted.  The  five  baggage  mules  were  fastened  one  behind 
another,  and  Jose  stood  at  the  head  of  the  leading  one.  As 
they  came  out  Bias  swung  his  wife  on  to  a  cushion  strapped 
behind  his  saddle,  and  mounted  himself  before  her.  Harry 
and  his  brother  climbed  into  theirs.  They  had  both  refused 
to  put  on  the  heavy  and  cruel  spurs  worn  by  the  Peruvians, 
but  had,  at  the  earnest  request  of  the  Indian,  put  them  in 
their  saddle-bags. 

"  You  will  want  them,"  he  said.  "  You  need  not  use  them 
cruelly,  but  you  must  give  your  mules  an  occasional  prick 
to  let  them  know  that  you  have  spurs." 

On  leaving  the  town  the  road  ran  up  the  valley  of  the 
Rimac,  a  small  river,  but  of  vital  importance  to  the  country 
through  which  it  passes,  as  small  canals  branching  from  it 
irrigate  the  land. 

"  The  Spaniards  have  done  some  good  here  at  least,"  Harry 
said  to  Dias,  who  was  riding  beside  him. 

"  Some  of  these  canals  were  constructed  in  their  time,  but 
the  rest  existed  long  before  they  came  here,  and,  indeed,  long 
before  the  Incas  came.  The  Incas'  work  lies  chiefly  beyond 
the  mountains;  on  this  side  almost  all  the  great  ruins  are 


AMONG  THE  MOUNTAINS  73 

of  cities  and  fortresses  built  by  the  old  people.  Cuzco  was 
the  Incas'  capital,  and  almost  all  the  towns  between  the  two 
ranges  of  the  Andes  were  their  work.  It  is  true  that  they 
conquered  the  people  down  to  the  sea,  but  they  do  not  seem 
to  have  cared  to  live  here.  The  treasures  of  Pachacamac 
and  the  other  places  on  the  plains  were  those  of  the  old  peo- 
ple and  the  old  religion.  The  inhabitants  of  the  plains  are 
for  the  most  part  descendants  of  those  people.  The  Incas 
were  strong  and  powerful,  but  they  were  not  numerous. 
That  was  why  the  Spaniards  conquered  them  so  easily.  The 
old  people,  who  regarded  them  as  their  masters,  did  not  care 
to  fight  for  them,  just  as  the  Peruvians  did  not  care  to  fight 
for  the  Spaniards." 

"  I  expect  it  was  a  good  deal  like  the  Normans  in  England," 
Bertie  put  in.  "  They  conquered  the  Saxons  because  they 
were  better  armed  and  better  disciplined,  but  they  were  few 
in  number  in  comparison  with  the  number  they  governed, 
and  in  their  quarrels  with  each  other  the  bulk  of  the  people 
stood  aloof;  and  it  was  only  when  the  Normans  began  their 
wars  in  France  and  Scotland,  and  were  obliged  to  enlist 
Saxon  archers  and  soldiers,  that  the  two  began  to  unite  and 
to  become  one  people." 

"  I  have  no  doubt  that  was  so,  Bertie ;  but  you  are  break- 
ing our  agreement  that  you  should  speak  in  Spanish  only." 

"  Oh,  bother !  you  know  very  well  that  I  cannot  talk  in  it 
yet,  and  you  surely  do  not  expect  that  I  am  going  to  ride 
along  without  opening  my  lips." 

"  I  know  you  too  well  to  expect  that,"  Harry  laughed, 
"  and  will  allow  an  occasional  outbreak.  Still,  do  try  to  talk 
Spanish,  however  bad  it  may  be.  You  have  got  cheek  enough 
in  other  things,  and  cheek  goes  a  long  way  in  learning  to 
talk  a  foreign  language.  You  have  been  four  months  at 
your  Spanish  books,  and  should  certainly  begin  to  put  simple 
sentences  together." 

"  But  that  is  just  what  one  does  not  learn  from  books," 
the  lad  said.  "  At  any  rate,  not  from  such  books  as  I  have 


74  THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  INCAS 

been  working  at.  I  could  do  a  high-flown  sentence,  and  offer 
to  kiss  your  hand  and  to  declare  that  all  I  have  is  at  your 
disposal.  But  if  I  wanted  to  say,  'When  are  we  going  to 
halt  for  dinner?  I  am  feeling  very  peckish,'  I  should  be 
stumped  altogether." 

"  Well,  you  must  get  as  near  as  you  can,  Bertie.  I  dare 
say  you  cannot  turn  slang  into  Spanish;  but  you  can  find 
other  words  to  express  your  meaning,  and  when  you  cannot 
hit  on  a  word  you  must  use  an  English  one.  Your  best  plan 
is  to  move  along  on  the  other  side  of  Bias,  and  chat  to  his 
wife." 

"  What  have  I  got  to  say  to  her? " 

"  Anything  you  like.  You  can  begin  by  asking  her  if  she 
has  ever  gone  a  long  journey  with  her  husband  before,  how 
far  we  shall  go  to-day — things  of  that  sort." 

"  Well,  I  will  try  anyhow.  I  suppose  I  must.  But  you 
go  on  talking  to  Dias,  else  I  shall  think  that  you  are  both 
laughing  at  me." 

Five  miles  from  Lima  they  passed  through  the  little  vil- 
lage of  Quiraz.  Beyond  this  they  came  upon  many  cotton 
plantations,  and  in  the  ravines  by  the  side  of  the  valley  or 
among  the  ruins  of  Indian  towns  were  several  large  fortresses. 
They  also  passed  the  remains  of  an  old  Spanish  town  and  sev- 
eral haciendas,  where  many  cattle  and  horses  were  grazing. 
They  were  ascending  steadily,  and  after  passing  Santa  Clara, 
eleven  miles  from  Lima,  the  valley  narrowed  and  became 
little  more  than  a  ravine.  On  either  side  were  rents  made 
in  the  hills  by  earthquakes,  and  immense  boulders  and  stones 
were  scattered  about  at  the  bottom  of  the  narrow  gorge. 
Four  hours'  travelling  brought  them  to  Chosica,  where  the 
valley  widened  again  near  the  foot  of  the  hills. 

Here  they  halted  for  the  day.  There  was  an  inn  here 
which  Dias  assured  them  was  clean  and  comfortable,  and  they 
therefore  took  a  couple  of  rooms  for  the  night  in  preference 
to  unpacking  their  tents. 

"It  is  just  as  well  not  to  begin  that  till  we  get  farther 


AMONG  THE  MOUNTAINS  75 

sway,"  Harry  said.  "  We  have  met  any  number  of  laden 
mules  coming  down,  and  if  we  were  to  camp  here  we  should 
cause  general  curiosity." 

He  accordingly  ordered  dinner  for  himself  and  his  brother, 
Dias  preferring  to  take  his  meal  in  a  large  room  used  by 
passing  muleteers.  The  fare  was  as  good  as  they  had  had 
at  the  hotel  at  Lima. 

"  I  am  not  sorry  that  we  halted  here,"  Bertie  said ;  "  I  feel 
as  stiff  as  a  poker." 

"  I  think  you  got  on  very  well,  Bertie,  with  Mrs.  Dias. 
I  did  not  hear  what  you  were  saying,  but  you  seemed  to  be 
doing  stunningly." 

"  She  did  most  of  the  talking.  I  asked  her  to  speak  slowly, 
as  I  did  not  manage  to  catch  the  sense  of  what  she  said.  She 
seems  full  of  fun,  and  a  jolly  little  woman  altogether.  She 
generally  understood  what  I  meant,  and  though  she  could 
not  help  laughing  sometimes,  she  did  it  so  good-temperedly 
that  one  did  not  feel  put  out.  Each  time  I  spoke  she  cor- 
rected me,  told  me  what  I  ought  to  have  said,  and  made  me 
say  it  after  her.  I  think  I  shall  get  on  fairly  well  at  the  end 
of  a  few  weeks." 

"I  am  sure  you  will,  Bertie;  the  trouble  is  only  at  the 
beginning,  and  now  that  you  have  once  broken  the  ice,  you 
will  progress  like  a  house  on  fire." 

There  were  still  four  hours  of  daylight  after  they  had 
finished  their  meal,  so  they  went  out  with  Dias  to  explore 
one  of  the  numerous  burying-grounds  round  the  village.  It 
consisted  of  sunken  chambers.  In  these  were  bones,  with 
remains  of  the  mats  in  which  the  bodies  had  been  clothed. 
These  wrappings  resembled  small  sacks,  and  they  remarked 
that  the  people  must  have  been  of  very  small  size,  or  they 
could  never  have  been  packed  away  in  them.  With  them 
had  been  buried  many  of  the  implements  of  their  trade.  One 
or  two  had  apparently  not  been  opened.  Here  were  knitting 
utensils,  toilet  articles,  implements  for  weaving,  spools  of 
thread,  needles  of  bone  and  bronze.  With  the  body  of  a  girl 


76  THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  INCAS 

had  been  placed  a  kind  of  work-box,  containing  the  articles 
that  she  had  used,  and  the  mummy  of  a  parrot,  some  beads, 
and  fragments  of  an  ornament  of  silver.  Dias  told  them 
that  all  these  tombs  were  made  long  before  the  coming  of 
the  Inoas.  He  said  that  round  the  heads  of  the  men  and 
boys  were  wound  the  slings  they  had  used  in  life,  while  a 
piece  of  cotton  flock  was  wrapped  round  the  heads  of  the 
women.  Many  of  the  graves  communicated  with  each  other 
by  very  narrow  passages ;  the  purpose  of  these  was  not  clear, 
but  probably  they  were  made  to  enable  the  spirits  of  the  dead 
to  meet  and  hold  communion  with  each  other. 

"  I  don't  want  to  see  any  more  of  them,"  Bertie  said  after 
they  had  spent  three  hours  in  their  investigations ;  "  this 
sort  of  thing  is  enough  to  give  one  a  fit  of  the  blues." 

Beyond  Chosica  civilization  almost  ceased.  The  road  be- 
came little  more  than  a  mule  track,  and  was  in  many  places 
almost  impassable  by  vehicles  of  any  kind.  Nothing  could 
be  wilder  than  the  scenery  they  passed.  At  times  rivers  ran 
through  perpendicular  gorges,  and  the  track  wound  up  and 
down  steep  ravines.  Sometimes  they  would  all  dismount, 
though  Dias  assured  them  it  was  not  necessary ;  still,  it  made 
a  change  from  the  monotonous  pace  of  little  over  two  miles 
an  hour  at  which  the  mules  breasted  the  steep  incline. 

Jose  rode  on  the  first  of  the  baggage  mules,  which  was 
very  lightly  loaded ;  he  generally  sang  the  whole  time.  When 
on  foot,  Donna  Maria  stepped  gaily  along  and  Bertie  had 
hard  work  to  keep  pace  with  her.  He  was  making  rapid 
progress  with  the  language,  though  occasionally  a  peal  of 
laughter  from  his  companion  told  of  some  egregious  error. 

There  were  villages  every  few  miles,  but  now  when  they 
halted  they  did  so  as  a  rule  a  mile  before  they  got  to  one 
of  these.  Dinner  was  cooked  over  a  fire  of  dead  sticks,  and 
after  the  meal  Harry's  tent  was  erected  and  the  bed  spread 
in  it.  The  Indians  went  on  to  the  village  for  the  night, 
while  Harry  and  his  brother  sat  and  smoked  for  a  time  by 
the  fire  and  then  turned  in.  At  daybreak  Dias  rode  back 


AMONG  THE  MOUNTAINS  77 

leading  their  riding  mules  and  a  baggage  animal;  the  tent, 
beds,  and  the  cooking  utensils  were  packed  up,  and  they  rode 
in  to  the  village  and  passed  on  at  a  trot  until  they  overtook 
Maria  and  Jose,  who  had  started  with  the  other  four  mules 
when  Dias  rode  away.  At  last  they  reached  the  head  of  the 
pass,  and  two  days'  journey  took  them  to  Oroya,  standing 
on  an  elevated  plateau  some  ten  thousand  feet  above  the  sea, 
and  five  thousand  below  the  highest  point  of  the  road. 

The  scenery  had  now  completely  changed.  Villages  were 
scattered  thickly  over  the  plain,  cultivation  was  general. 
The  hillsides  were  lined  by  artificial  terraces,  on  which  were 
perched  chalets  and  small  hamlets — they  had  seen  similar 
terraces  on  the  way  up.  These  were  as  the  Spaniards  found 
them,  and  must  at  one  time  have  been  inhabited  by  a  thriv- 
ing population.  Even  now  gardens  and  orchards  flourished 
upon  them  up  to  the  highest  points  on  the  hills.  Oroya  was 
a  large  place,  and,  avoiding  the  busy  part  of  the  town,  they 
hired  rooms,  as  it  was  necessary  to  give  the  mules  two  days' 
rest.  On  the  first  evening  after  their  arrival  they  gathered 
round  a  fire,  for  the  nights  were  cold,  and  even  in  the  daytime 
they  did  not  find  their  numerous  wraps  too  hot  for  them. 

"  Now,  Dias,"  Harry  said,  "  we  must  talk  over  our  plans. 
You  said  that  we  would  not  decide  upon  anything  till  we 
got  here." 

"In  the  first  place,  senor,  I  think  it  would  be  well  to  go 
to  the  north  to  see  the  Cerro  de  Pasco  silver  mine,  they  say 
it  is  the  richest  in  the  world.  It  is  well  that  you  should 
see  the  formation  of  the  rocks  and  the  nature  of  the  ore; 
we  may  in  our  journey  ings  come  across  similar  rock." 

"  It  is  gold  rather  than  silver  that  one  wants  to  find,  Dias. 
I  do  not  say  that  a  silver  mine  would  not  be  worth  a  very 
large  sum  of  money,  but  it  would  be  necessary  to  open  it  and 
go  to  a  large  expense  to  prove  it.  Then  one  would  have 
to  go  to  England  and  get  up  a  company  to  work  it,  which 
would  be  a  long  and  difficult  matter.  Still,  I  am  quite  ready 
to  go  and  see  the  place." 


78  THE  TBEASUEE  OF  THE  INCAS 

Dias  nodded. 

"  What  you  say  is  true,  senor.  I  could  take  you  to  a 
dozen  places  where  there  is  silver.  They  may  be  good  or 
may  not,  but  even  if  they  were  as  rich  as  Potosi  the  silver 
would  have  to  be  carried  to  Lima,  so  great  a  distance  on 
mules'  backs  that  it  would  swallow  up  the  profits.  And  it 
would  be  almost  impossible  to  convey  the  necessary  ma- 
chinery there,  indeed  to  do  so  would  involve  the  making  of 
roads  for  a  great  distance." 

"At  the  same  time,  Dias,  should  you  know  of  any  silver 
lodes  that  might  turn  out  well,  I  would  certainly  take  some 
samples,  and  send  two  or  three  mule-loads  of  the  stuff  home. 
They  might  be  of  no  good  for  the  purpose  for  which  I  have 
come  out  here,  but  in  time  I  might  do  something  with  them ; 
the  law  here  is  that  anyone  who  finds  a  mine  can  obtain  a 
concession  for  it." 

"  That  is  so,  senor,  but  he  must  proceed  to  work  it." 

"  I  suppose  it  would  be  sufficient  to  put  two  or  three  men 
on  for  that  purpose." 

"  But  if  you  were  away  for  a  year  difficulties  might  arise. 
It  would  be  better  for  you  only  to  determine  the  course  of 
the  lode,  its  thickness  and  value,  to  trace  it  as  far  as  possible, 
and  then  hide  all  signs  of  the  work,  and  not  to  make  your 
claim  until  you  return  here." 

"  Very  well,  I  will  take  your  advice,  Dias.  And  now  about 
the  real  object  of  our  journey." 

"  I  have  been  thinking  it  over  deeply,"  Dias  said.  "  First 
as  to  mines;  at  present  almost  all  the  gold  that  is  obtained 
is  acquired  by  washing  the  sands  of  rivers.  Here  and  there 
gold  has  been  found  in  rocks,  but  not  in  sufficient  quantities 
to  make  mining  pay.  The  rivers  whose  sands  are  richest  in 
gold  are  in  the  mountains  that  lie  behind  Lake  Titicaca, 
which  lies  to  the  south  of  Cuzco  and  on  the  border  of  Bolivia. 
No  one  doubts  that  in  the  time  of  the  Incas  there  existed 
gold  mines,  and  very  rich  ones;  for  if  it  had  not  been  so  it 
is  impossible  to  account  for  the  enormous  amount  of  gold 


AMONG  THE   MOUNTAINS  79 

obtained  by  the  Spanish  conquerors,  and  no  one  doubts  that 
they  got  but  a  small  portion  of  the  gold  in  existence  when 
they  arrived.  It  is  of  no  use  whatever  for  us  to  search  the 
old  ruins  of  the  Incas  in  Cuzco,  or  their  other  great  towns; 
all  that  can  be  found  there  has  already  been  carried  away. 

"  Now  you  see,  senor,  Huanuco,  Jauja,  Cuzco,  and  Puno 
all  lie  near  the  eastern  range  of  the  Andes,  and  when  the 
alarm  caused  by  the  arrogant  conduct  of  the  Spaniards  be- 
gan, it  was  natural  that  the  treasures  should  be  sent  away 
into  the  heart  of  those  mountains.  The  towns  on  the  west- 
ern sides  of  this  plateau,  Challhuanca,  Tanibobamba,  Huan- 
cavelica,  would  as  naturally  send  theirs  for  safety  into  the 
gorges  of  the  western  Andes,  but  all  traditions  point  to  the 
fact  that  this  was  not  done  by  the  Incas.  As  soon  as  the 
Spaniards  arrived  and  struck  the  first  blow,  the  great  chiefs 
would  naturally  call  together  a  band  of  their  followers  on 
whose  fidelity  they  could  rely,  load  the  treasures  on  llamas, 
of  which  they  possessed  great  numbers,  and  hurry  them  off  to 
the  mountains. 

"It  is  among  the  mountains,  therefore,  that  our  search 
must  be  made.  All  our  traditions  point  to  the  fact  that  it 
was  along  the  eastern  range  of  the  Cordilleras,  and  the  coun- 
try beyond,  that  by  far  the  greater  portion  of  the  treasures 
were  taken  for  concealment.  At  any  rate,  as  we  have  but 
eighteen  months  for  the  search  it  is  on  that  side  that  we 
must  try,  and  ten  times  that  length  of  time  would  be  insuf- 
ficient for  us  to  do  it  thoroughly.  As  to  the  gold  mines,  it 
is  certain  that  they  lie  in  that  portion  of  the  range  between 
Cuzco  and  Lake  Titicaca.  It  was  near  Puno,  a  short  dis- 
tance from  the  lake,  that  the  Spaniards,  owing  to  the  folly 
of  an  Indian,  found  great  treasures  in  a  cave.  They  would 
probably  have  found  much  more  had  not  a  stream  suddenly 
burst  out  which  flooded  the  whole  valley  and  converted  it 
into  a  lake.  Which  do  you  think  we  had  better  look  for 
first,  gold  mines  or  hidden  treasures  ? " 

"  Of  course  that  must  depend  on  you,  Bias,  and  how  much 


80  THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  INCAS 

you  know  about  these  matters.  I  need  not  say  that  a  hidden 
treasure  would  be  of  vastly  more  use  to  me  than  the  richest 
gold  mine  in  the  world.  To  obtain  the  gold  from  a  mine 
an  abundance  of  labour  is  required,  besides  machinery  for 
crushing  quartz  and  separating  the  gold  from  it.  In  the  bed 
of  a  river,  if  it  is  rich  and  abounding  in  nuggets,  three  or 
four  men,  with  rough  machinery,  could  wash  out  a  large 
quantity  of  gold  in  a  short  time,  and  a  place  of  that  sort 
would  be  far  better  than  a  rich  mine,  which  could  not  be 
worked  without  a  large  amount  of  capital." 

"1  have  heard  tales  of  such  places  on  the  other  side  of 
the  mountains  to  the  south.  From  time  to  time  gold-seekers 
have  returned  with  as  much  as  they  could  carry,  but  not  one 
in  a  hundred  of  those  that  go  ever  come  back;  some  doubt- 
less die  from  hunger  and  hardship,  but  more  are  killed  by 
the  Indians.  Most  of  the  tribes  there  are  extremely  savage, 
and  are  constantly  at  war  with  each  other,  and  they  slay 
every  white  man  who  ventures  into  their  country." 

"  Then  is  it  not  probable,  Dias,  that  the  gold  could  have 
come  from  their  country  ?  " 

"  Not  from  the  plains,  but  from  the  streams  running  down 
into  them;  and  although  the  Incas  never  attempted  to  sub- 
due the  tribes  beyond  the  mountains,  they  may  have  had 
bodies  of  troops  to  protect  the  workers  from  incursions  by 
these  savages." 

"  Are  there  many  wild  beasts  there  ?  " 

"In  some  parts  of  the  mountains  pumas  and  jaguars 
abound." 

"  That  is  not  altogether  satisfactory,  though  I  should  not 
mind  if  we  fell  in  with  one  occasionally.  But  how  about 
game,  Dias  ? " 

"The  chief  game  are  the  wild  vicunas,  which  are  very 
numerous  in  some  parts;  but  they  are  very  shy  and  difficult 
to  hunt.  Deer  are  plentiful,  and  there  are  foxes,  bears,  and 
hogs;  but  the  great  article  of  food  is  fish.  On  the  plains 
the  manatee,  which  is  very  like  the  seal,  is  caught;  turtles 


AMONG  THE  MOUNTAINS  81 

are  found  in  great  numbers,  and  the  people  make  oil  from 
their  eggs;  and  the  buffo,  a  sort  of  porpoise,  also  abounds. 
The  natives  do  not  eat  these,  except  when  very  pressed  for 
food;  they  catch  them  for  the  sake  of  their  oil.  There  are 
many  kinds  of  fish:  the  sunaro,  which  I  heard  an  English 
traveller  say  are  like  the  fish  the  English  call  the  pike ;  these 
grow  to  the  length  of  seven  or  eight  feet.  And  many  smaller 
kinds  of  fish  are  caught  by  throwing  the  juice  of  the  root  of 
the  barbasto  into  small  streams.  This  makes  the  fish  stupid, 
and  they  float  on  the  surface  so  that  they  may  easily  be 
caught  by  hand.  There  are  also  many  sorts  of  fruit." 

"Well,  then,  we  ought  to  do  fairly  well,  Dias." 

"  Yes,  senor ;  but  many  of  these  creatures  are  only  found 
in  the  forests  and  in  the  rivers  of  the  plains,  and  they  are 
so  much  hunted  by  the  savages  there  that  they  are  very  shy. 
But  there  are  some  creatures  with  which  we  certainly  do 
not  wish  to  meet,  and  unfortunately  these  are  not  uncom- 
mon. I  mean  the  alligators  and  the  great  serpents.  The 
natives  fear  the  alligators  much,  for  their  weapons  are  of 
no  avail  against  them,  and  they  would  never  venture  to  attack 
a  great  snake." 

"And  besides  these,  what  other  disagreeables  are  there, 
Dias  ?  "  Bertie  asked  cheerfully. 

"There  is  one  other  disagreeable,"  Dias  replied,  "and  it 
is  a  serious  one.  There  are  in  the  mountains  many  desper- 
ate men.  Some  have  slain  an  enemy  who  had  friends  influ- 
ential enough  to  set  the  law  in  motion  against  them,  or  have 
escaped  from  prison;  some  have  resisted  the  tax-collectors; 
many  have  been  suspected  of  plotting  against  the  govern- 
ment; and  others  are  too  lazy  to  work." 

"  And  how  do  they  live  ? "  Harry  asked. 

"  They  live  partly  on  game  and  partly  on  plunder.  They 
steal  from  cultivators;  they  are  paid  a  small  sum  by  all 
muleteers  passing  through  the  mountains;  they  rob  travel- 
lers who  are  worth  robbing;  and  sometimes  they  carry  off  a 
proprietor  of  land,  and  get  a  ransom  for  him.  Occasionally 


82  THE  THEASURE  OF  THE  INCAS 

they  will  wash  the  sand,  and  get  gold  enough  to  send  one  of 
their  number  into  a  town  to  buy  articles  they  require." 

"And  do  they  go  in  large  bands?" 

"  No,  sefior ;  as  a  rule  some  ten  or  twelve  keep  together 
under  the  one  they  have  chosen  as  their  chief.  Sometimes, 
if  people  make  complaints  and  troops  are  sent  against  them, 
they  will  join  to  resist  them;  but  this  is  not  often.  The 
authorities  know  well  enough  that  they  have  no  chance  of 
catching  these  men  among  the  mountains  they  are  so  well 
acquainted  with,  and  content  themselves  with  stationing  a 
few  troops  in  the  villages." 

"  And  is  it  through  the  robbers  or  the  savages  that  so  few 
of  the  gold  explorers  ever  return  ? " 

"  It  is  chiefly,  I  think,  from  hardship,"  Dias  said ;  "  but 
undoubtedly  many  who  venture  down  near  the  Indians' 
country  are  killed  by  them.  Some  who  have  done  well,  and 
are  returning  with  the  gold  they  have  accumulated,  fall  vic- 
tims to  these  robbers.  You  must  not,  of  course,  suppose 
that  there  are  great  numbers  of  them,  senor.  There  may  be 
some  hundreds,  but  from  Huancabamba — the  northern  fron- 
tier of  the  western  Cordilleras,  where  the  Maranon  crosses 
the  eastern  range — down  to  Lake  Titicaca  on  the  one  side, 
and  Tacna  on  the  other,  is  nigh  a  thousand  miles,  and  the 
two  ranges  cover  more  square  leagues  than  can  be  reckoned, 
and  even  a  thousand  men  scattered  over  these  would  be  but 
so  many  grains  of  sand  on  a  stretch  of  the  sea-shore." 

"It  certainly  sounds  like  it,  Dias;  but  perhaps  those 
worthy  people  congregate  chiefly  in  the  neighbourhood  of 
the  passes." 

"  That  is  so,  senor ;  but  even  through  these  a  traveller 
might  pass  many  times  without  being  troubled  by  them." 

"  Have  you  fallen  in  with  them  often,  Dias  ?  " 

"  Yes ;  but,  as  you  see,  they  have  done  me  no  harm. 
Sometimes,  when  I  get  to  the  end  of  my  journey,  the  mules 
are  not  so  heavily  laden  as  when  I  started;  but  generally 
the  people  for  whom  I  work  say  to  me,  '  Here  are  so  many 


AMONG   THE   MOUNTAINS  83 

dollars,  Dias;  they  are  for  toll.'  There  are  places  in  the 
villages  at  the  foot  of  the  most-frequented  passes  where  it 
is  understood  that  a  payment  of  so  many  dollars  per  mule 
will  enable  you  to  pass  without  molestation.  In  return  for 
your  money,  you  receive  a  ribbon,  or  a  rosette,  or  a  feather, 
and  this  you  place  in  your  hat  as  a  passport.  You  may  meet 
a  few  men  with  guns  as  you  pass  along,  but  when  they  see 
the  sign  they  salute  you  civilly,  ask  for  a  drink  of  wine  if 
you  are  carrying  it,  then  wish  you  good-day.  It  is  only  in 
little-frequented  passes  that  you  have  to  take  your  chance. 
I  may  say  that  though  these  men  may  plunder,  they  never 
kill  a  muleteer.  They  know  that  if  they  did,  all  traffic  on 
that  road  would  cease,  and  the  soldiers  would  find  guides 
who  knew  every  path  and  hiding-place  in  the  mountains." 

"  Anyhow,  I  think  it  is  well,  Dias,  that  I  took  your  advice, 
and  handed  over  my  gold  to  Senor  Pasquez,  for  if  we  do  fall 
into  the  hands  of  any  of  these  gentry,  we  can  lose  practically 
nothing." 

"  No  money,  senor,  but  we  might  lose  everything  else,  ex- 
cept perhaps  the  mules,  which  they  could  not  use  in  the 
mountains.  But  if  they  were  to  take  our  blankets,  and  tents, 
and  provisions,  and  your  firearms,  we  should  be  in  a  bad  way 
if  we  happened  to  be  a  couple  of  hundred  miles  in  the  heart 
of  the  mountains." 

"  Well,  I  don't  think  they  will  take  them,"  Harry  said 
grimly,  "  without  paying  pretty  dearly  for  them.  With  your 
gun  and  our  rifles,  and  that  old  fowling-piece  which  you  got 
for  Jose,  which  will  throw  a  fairly  heavy  charge  of  buck- 
shot, I  think  we  can  make  a  very  good  fight  against  any  band 
of  eight  men,  or  even  one  or  two  more." 

"  I  think  so,"  Dias  said  gravely.  "  It  is  seldom  I  miss  my 
mark.  Still,  I  hope  we  shall  not  be  troubled  with  them,  or 
with  the  Indians.  You  see,  it  is  not  so  much  an  attack  by 
day  that  we  have  to  fear,  as  a  surprise  at  night.  Of  course, 
when  we  are  once  on  the  hills,  Jose  and  I  will  keep  watch  by 
turns.  He  is  as  sharp  as  a  needle.  I  should  have  no  fear 


84  THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  INCAS 

of  any  of  these  robbers  creeping  up  to  us  without  his  hearing 
them.  But  I  can't  say  so  much  for  him  in  the  case  of  the 
Indians,  who  can  move  so  noiselessly  that  even  a  vicuna 
would  not  hear  them  until  they  were  within  a  spear's-throw." 

"  The  spear  is  their  weapon  then,  Dias  ? " 

"  Some  tribes  carry  bows  and  arrows,  others  only  spears, 
and  sometimes  they  poison  the  points  of  both  these  weapons." 

"  That  is  unpleasant.  Are  there  remedies  for  the  poi- 
sons?" 

"  None  that  I  know  of,  nor  do  I  think  the  savages  them- 
selves know  of  any.  The  only  chance  is  to  pour  ammonia 
at  once  into  the  hole  that  is  made  by  an  arrow,  and  to  cut  out 
all  the  flesh  round  a  spear-wound,  and  then  to  pour  in  am- 
monia or  sear  it  with  a  hot  iron." 

"  That  accounts  for  your  buying  that  large  bottle  of 
ammonia  at  Lima.  I  wondered  what  you  wanted  it  for. 
When  we  get  into  the  country  these  unpleasant  people  in- 
habit, I  will  fill  my  spirit-flask  with  it,  so  that  it  will  always 
be  handy  if  required.  Now  we  understand  things  generally, 
Dias.  It  only  remains  for  you  to  decide  where  we  had  best 
leave  the  plain  and  take  to  the  mountains." 

Dias  was  silent  for  a  minute.  "  I  should  say,  senor,  that 
first  we  had  better  journey  down  to  Cuzco  and  then  down 
to  Sicuani,  where  the  western  Cordilleras,  after  making  a 
bend,  join  the  eastern  branch,  and  there  cross  the  Tinta  vol- 
cano. On  the  other  side  are  many  gorges.  In  one  of  these 
I  know  there  is  some  very  rich  gold  sand.  Explorers  have 
sought  for  this  spot  in  vain,  but  the  secret  has  been  well  kept 
by  the  few  who  know  it.  It  has  been  handed  down  in  my 
father's  family  from  father  to  son  ever  since  the  Spaniards 
came.  He  told  it  to  me,  and  I  swore  to  reveal  it  to  none  but 
my  son.  I  have  no  son,  and  the  secret  therefore  will  die 
with  me.  Whether  it  has  been  passed  down  in  any  other 
family  I  cannot  say.  It  may  be,  or  it  may  not  be ;  but  as  I 
owe  you  my  life,  and  also  the  debt  of  gratitude  to  Senor 
Barnett,  I  feel  that  you  are  more  to  me  than  a  son.  More* 


AMONG  THE  MOUNTAINS  85 

over,  the  secret  was  to  be  kept  lest  it  should  come  to  the 
knowledge  of  the  Spaniards.  The  Spaniards  have  gone,  and 
with  them  the  reason  for  concealment,  so  I  feel  now  that  I 
am  justified  in  taking  you  there." 

"I  am  glad  of  that,  Dias.  Assuredly  the  gold  can  be  of 
service  to  no  man  as  long  as  it  lies  there,  and  it  would  be 
better  to  utilize  it  than  allow  it  to  waste.  I  need  not  say 
how  grateful  I  shall  feel  if  you  can  put  me  in  the  way  of 
obtaining  it." 

"  That  I  cannot  absolutely  promise,"  he  said.  "  I  have 
the  indications,  but  they  will  be  difficult  to  find.  Three 
hundred  years  bring  great  changes — rocks  on  which  there 
are  marks  may  be  carried  away  by  torrents,  figures  cut  in  the 
cliffs  may  be  overgrown  by  mosses  or  creepers.  However,  if 
but  a  few  remain,  I  hope  to  be  able  to  find  my  way.  If  I 
fail  we  must  try  elsewhere ;  but  this  is  the  only  one  of  which 
I  have  been  told  all  the  marks.  I  know  generally  several 
places  where  great  treasure  was  hidden,  but  not  the  marks 
by  which  they  could  be  discovered,  and  as  we  may  be  sure 
that  every  measure  was  taken  to  hide  the  entrances  to  the 
caves,  the  chances  would  be  all  against  our  lighting  upon 
them.  I  may  say,  senor,  that,  great  as  was  the  treasure  of 
the  Incas,  that  of  the  Chimoos  or  Chincas,  a  powerful  people 
who  inhabited  part  of  this  country,  was  fully  as  large;  and 
traditions  say  that  most  of  the  treasures  hidden  were  not 
those  of  the  Incas,  but  of  the  Chimoos,  who  buried  them 
when  their  country  was  invaded  by  the  Incas. 

"  This  is  certainly  the  case  with  most  of  the  treasures  hid- 
den to  the  west  of  the  mountains.  It  was  so  at  Pachacamac ; 
it  was  so  at  Truxillo,  where  the  Spaniards  found  three  mill- 
ion and  a  half  dollars  of  gold ;  and  it  is  known  that  this  was 
but  a  small  hoard,  and  that  the  great  one,  many  times  larger, 
has  never  been  discovered.  Probably  the  secret  has  long  been 
lost;  for  if  there  are  but  few  who  know  where  the  Incas 
buried  their  gold,  it  may  well  be  believed  that  the  exact  local- 
ity of  the  Chimoo  treasures,  which  were  buried  more  than 


86  THE  TBEASUBE  OF  THE  INCAS 

eight  hundred  years  ago,  is  now  unknown,  and  that  nothing 
but  vague  traditions  have  been  handed  down." 

"  That  one  can  quite  understand,"  Harry  agreed,  "  when 
we  consider  how  many  of  the  Chimoos  must  have  fallen  in 
the  struggle  with  the  Incas,  and  how  more  than  half  the 
population  were  swept  away  by  the  Spaniards,  to  say  nothing 
of  those  who  have  died  in  the  wars  of  the  last  thirty  years. 
It  seems  strange,  however,  that  the  treasures  in  the  temple 
of  Pachacamac  were  left  untouched  by  the  Incas  and  allowed 
to  accumulate  afterwards." 

"It  was  so  generally  regarded  as  the  sacred  city,"  Bias 
said,  "  that,  powerful  as  they  were,  the  Incas  did  not  attempt 
to  interfere  with  it,  as  to  do  so  would  certainly  have  stirred 
up  a  formidable  insurrection  of  the  natives  throughout  the 
whole  of  their  territory;  and  instead,  therefore,  of  taking 
possession  of  the  temple  and  dedicating  it  to  their  own  god, 
they  allowed  it  to  remain  untouched  and  the  worship  of  the 
old  gods  to  be  carried  on  there,  contenting  themselves  with 
building  a  temple  of  their  own  to  the  Sun-god  close  at  hand." 

"  Whether  any  treasure  we  find  belonged  to  the  Incas  or 
to  the  Chimoos  is  of  no  consequence  whatever.  I  certainly 
think  that  before  entering  upon  what  would  seem  to  be 
almost  a  hopeless  search  for  such  stores,  we  should  try  this 
place  that  you  know  of.  In  that  case  it  seems  to  me,  Dias, 
that  if  we  had  gone  down  the  coast  to  Islay,  and  up  through 
Arequipa  to  Cuzco,  our  journey  would  have  been  considera- 
bly shorter." 

"  That  is  true,  senor,  but  we  should  have  found  it  difficult 
to  take  a  passage  for  our  mules;  the  steamers  are  but  small 
craft,  with  poor  accommodation  even  for  passengers.  And 
besides,  until  we  had  made  all  our  arrangements  for  the  jour- 
ney from  Lima,  I  could  hardly  say  that  I  had  made  up  my 
mind  to  bring  you  to  this  place.  Only  when  you  and  your 
brother  saved  my  life  did  I  feel  that  I  was  bound  to  aid  you, 
even  to  the  point  of  divulging  the  secret.  It  is  different  now 
from  what  it  was  when  it  was  first  handed  down.  At  that 


A  TROPICAL   FOREST  87 

time  the  Spaniards  were  mercilessly  slaying  all  known  to 
be  in  the  possession  of  any  secret  connected  with  gold,  and 
every  discovery  of  gold  entailed  the  forced  labour  of  thou- 
sands more  of  the  natives.  Well,  senor,  all  that  is  changed; 
we  are  our  own  masters,  and  those  who  find  mines  are  al- 
lowed to  work  them  on  payment  of  certain  royalties.  There 
is,  therefore,  no  good  in  keeping  a  secret  that  has  been  use- 
less for  hundreds  of  years." 

"  Certainly,  Dias,  you  will  have  the  satisfaction  of  know- 
ing that  you  are  injuring  no  one  by  the  act,  and  are  besides 
doing  a  very  good  action  to  my  brother  and  myself." 

"  Well,  Bertie,"  Harry  said  when  Dias  had  left  the  room, 
"  I  think  we  may  congratulate  ourselves.  For  the  first  time 
I  really  think  there  is  a  chance  of  the  expedition  turning 
out  a  success." 

"  It  certainly  looks  like  it,"  Bertie  agreed.  "  For  your 
sake  I  hope  it  will  be  so.  As  for  me,  I  am  quite  content; 
what  with  Indians  and  brigands,  wild  beasts,  alligators,  and 
snakes,  the  journey  is  likely  to  be  an  exciting  one." 


CHAPTER   VI 

A  TROPICAL  FOREST 

IT  took  them  over  three  weeks  to  reach  Cuzco.  They  did 
not  hurry,  for  they  wished  to  keep  the  mules  in  good  con- 
dition for  the  serious  work  before  them.  They  were  travel- 
ling across  a  plateau  thickly  dotted  with  villages  and  small 
towns,  and  everywhere  richly  cultivated.  Near  the  summit 
of  the  mountains  large  flocks  of  alpacas  were  grazing,  and 
lower  down  herds  of  cattle  and  sheep,  while  near  the  plain 
were  patches  of  wheat,  barley,  and  potatoes,  which  in  turn 
were  succeeded  by  fields  of  maize,  apple  and  peach  trees,  and 
prickly-pears.  At  the  foot  were  fields  of  sugar-cane,  oranges, 
citron,  pine-apples,  cacao,  and  many  other  tropical  fruits; 
while  in  the  deeper  ravines  cotton  was  grown  in  abundance 


88  THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  INC  AS 

for  the  wants  of  the  population.  Here,  in  fact,  were  all  vari- 
eties of  climate,  from  the  perpetual  snow  on  the  summits 
of  the  lofty  mountains  to  a  tropical  heat  in  the  valleys. 

"  If  the  Incas  had  been  contented  with  this  glorious 
plateau,  which  for  centuries  constituted  their  kingdom,  and 
had  passed  a  law  against  the  gathering  of  gold  and  the  min- 
ing for  silver,  they  might  still  have  been  lords  here,"  Harry 
said  one  day.  "  There  would  have  been  nothing  to  tempt  the 
avarice  of  the  Spaniards,  for  owing  to  the  distance  of  the 
mines  from  the  coast,  the  cost  of  carriage  would  have  been 
immense,  and  the  long  sea  journey  would  have  rendered  the 
exportation  of  the  natural  products  of  the  country  impossi- 
ble. Some  of  the  more  sober-minded  of  the  Dons  might  have 
settled  down  here  and  taken  wives  from  among  the  daughters 
of  the  nobles,  and,  bringing  with  them  the  civilization  of 
Spain,  become  valuable  colonists.  The  Incas,  before  they 
extended  their  conquest  over  the  whole  of  the  west  of  South 
America,  must  have  been  a  comparatively  simple  people,  and 
would  have  had  none  of  the  habits  of  luxury  and  magnificence 
that  tempted  the  Spaniards.  The  gold  of  South  America 
was  the  ruin  of  the  Incas,  as  it  was  afterwards  the  chief  cause 
of  the  ruin  of  Spain." 

"Well,  Harry,  then  I  should  very  strongly  advise  you  to 
give  up  treasure-hunting  and  to  remain  poor,  for  the  curse 
of  the  gold  may  not  have  worked  itself  out  yet." 

"I  must  risk  that,  Bertie.  I  have  no  desire  for  luxury 
or  magnificence;  it  is  for  a  laudable  purpose  that  I  seek  the 
gold.  However,  if  you  have  any  scruples  on  the  subject 
there  is  no  occasion  for  you  to  have  any  share  in  what  I  may 
discover." 

"No,  I  think  I  will  agree  with  you  and  risk  it;  though 
certainly  at  present  I  don't  see  what  advantage  any  amount 
of  money  would  be  to  me." 

The  houses  of  the  peasants  were  for  the  most  part  com- 
fortable, although  small,  for  since  the  expulsion  of  the 
Spaniards,  the  people  had  had  no  reason  to  make  a  pretence 


A  TROPICAL  FOREST  89 

of  poverty.  During  the  Spanish  rule  no  one  dared,  by  the 
size  of  his  house  or  by  his  mode  of  living,  to  show  signs  of 
wealth  above  his  fellows,  for  to  do  so  would  be  to  expose 
himself  to  the  cruel  exactions  of  the  tax-collectors  and  local 
officials ;  and  even  now  they  had  hardly  recognized  the 
change  that  had  taken  place,  and  remained  wedded  to  the 
habits  that  had  become  rooted  in  them  by  centuries  of  op- 
pression. 

The  travellers  had  no  difficulty  whatever  in  purchasing 
food  and  forage  on  the  way.  They  always  slept  in  their 
tents  now,  and  preferred  Donna  Maria's  cooking  to  that 
which  they  could  obtain  in  the  small  and  generally  dirty  inns 
in  the  towns. 

By  the  time  they  reached  Cuzco,  Bertie  was  able  to  con- 
verse in  Spanish  with  some  fluency.  On  the  way  he  rode 
either  beside  Dias  and  his  wife,  or  with  Jose;  in  either  case 
an  animated  conversation  was  kept  up,  sometimes  on  the 
stirring  events  of  the  war  of  independence  and  the  subse- 
quent struggles,  sometimes  about  life  in  England,  its  ways 
and  customs,  concerning  which  neither  Maria  nor  Jose  had 
any  knowledge  whatever.  Bertie  also  endeavoured  to  gain 
some  information  concerning  the  history  of  Peru  prior  to 
the  rising  against  Spain;  but  neither  the  woman  nor  boy 
knew  anything  of  the  subject  beyond  the  fact  that  the  Incas 
were  great  people,  and  that  the  natives  still  mourned  for 
them. 

"  You  see  that  black  apron  most  of  the  women  wear  over 
one  hip,  as  a  sign  of  mourning ;  it  is  still  worn  for  the  Incas. 
They  must  have  been  good  people,  and  not  cruel  like  the 
Spanish,  or  they  would  not  be  so  much  regretted,"  Maria 
said.  "  I  don't  wear  the  apron,  because  both  Dias  and  I  are 
of  mixed  blood,  descendants  on  one  side  of  natives,  and  on 
the  other  of  Creoles,  that  is  of  Spaniards  whose  families 
were  settled  here,  and  who  hated  their  countrymen  just  as 
much  as  we  do.  Well,  there  is  Cuzco  in  sight.  I  have  never 
seen  it,  and  am  glad  that  we  shall  stay  there  for  a  few  days." 


90  THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  INCAS 

The  old  capital  of  the  Incas  lay  at  the  end  of  a  valley 
about  two  miles  in  length,  and  about  a  mile  in  width.  To 
the  north  of  the  city  rose  an  abrupt  hill,  crowned  by  the 
great  citadel  with  its  three  lines  of  walls,  the  hill  being 
divided  from  those  forming  the  side  of  the  valley  by  two 
deep  ravines,  in  which  flowed  little  streams  that  ran  through 
the  city.  The  appearance  of  the  town  was  striking.  There 
were  numerous  churches,  its  streets  ran  at  right  angles  to 
each  other,  and  the  massive  stone  houses  dated  from  the  early 
Spanish  days,  though  they  were  surmounted  for  the  most 
part  by  modern  brickwork  additions.  Where  the  great  Tem- 
ple of  the  Sun  once  stood,  the  church  of  Santo  Domingo 
had  been  built,  a  portion  of  the  splendid  building  of  the  old 
faith  being  incorporated  in  it. 

"  What  is  the  use  of  staying  here  ? "  Bertie  asked  his 
brother  impatiently,  two  days  after  they  had  arrived  at 
Cuzco.  "  I  dare  say  these  old  ruins  and  fortresses,  and  so 
on,  are  very  interesting  to  people  who  understand  all  about 
the  Incas;  but  as  I  know  nothing  about  them,  I  don't  see 
how  you  can  expect  me  to  get  up  any  interest  in  an  old  wall 
because  you  tell  me  that  it  is  one  of  the  remains  of  a  palace 
belonging  to  some  old  chap  I  never  heard  of.  I  shall  be  very 
glad  when  Dias  says  that  the  mules  have  had  enough  rest 
and  that  we  can  set  out  on  our  business." 

"  I  am  afraid  you  are  a  Goth,  Bert,"  Harry  said,  looking 
at  him  with  an  expression  of  pity.  "  Here  you  are  in  one 
of  the  most  interesting  cities  of  the  world,  a  place  that  thou- 
sands and  thousands  of  people  would  travel  any  distance  to 
investigate,  and  in  forty-eight  hours  you  are  tired  of  it. 
You  have  no  romance  in  your  nature,  no  respect  for  the 
past;  you  are  a  Goth  and  a  Philistine." 

"  I  am  afraid  you  are  mixing  up  localities,  Harry.  I  may 
be  a  Goth  or  a  Philistine,  but  perhaps  you  are  not  aware 
that  these  peoples  or  tribes  had  no  connection  with  each 
other.  Your  education  in  matters  unconnected  with  the 
Royal  Navy  seems  to  have  been  even  more  deplorably  neg- 
lected than  my  own." 


A  TROPICAL  FOEEST  91 

"  Shut  up,  youngster !  " 

"  No,  Lieutenant  Prendergast,  you  are  not  on  the  quarter- 
deck of  one  of  Her  Majesty's  ships  at  present.  You  are 
not  even  the  leader  of  a  small  caravan  on  the  march.  We 
are  in  this  locanda  on  terms  of  perfect  equality,  save  and 
except  in  any  small  advantage  that  you  may  possess  in  the 
matter  of  years." 

Harry  laughed. 

"  Well,  Bertie,  I  do  not  altogether  disagree  with  what  you 
say.  If  I  had  come  here  to  get  up  the  history  of  the  Incas, 
and  investigate  the  ruins  of  their  palaces,  I  should  be  con- 
tent to  stay  here  for  some  weeks;  but  as  it  is,  I  am  really 
just  as  anxious  as  you  are  to  be  on  the  move.  I  was  speaking 
to  Bias  half  an  hour  ago,  and  he  says  that  in  two  more  days 
we  shall  be  able  to  start  again.  We  have  been  discussing 
how  much  flour  and  other  things  it  is  absolutely  necessary 
to  take.  Of  course  the  better  provided  we  are  the  more  com- 
fortable we  shall  be;  but  on  the  other  hand,  as  Bias  says,  it 
is  of  great  importance  that  the  mules  should  carry  as  little 
weight  as  possible. 

"In  crossing  the  passes  we  shall  have  the  benefit  of  the 
old  roads  of  the  Incas,  but  once  we  leave  these  the  difficul- 
ties will  be  enormous.  Dias  said  that  it  might  be  better  to 
dispose  of  our  mules  altogether  and  get  trained  llamas  in 
their  place,  as  these  can  climb  over  rocks  where  no  mule 
could  obtain  a  foothold.  But  then  it  would  be  necessary  to 
take  with  us  one  or  two  natives  accustomed  to  their  ways, 
and  this  would  not  suit  us  at  all.  However,  I  do  think  that 
it  would  be  worth  while  to  take  two  or  three  of  these  animals 
with  us.  They  can  carry  a  hundred  pounds  apiece;  but  as 
we  may  be  going  over  extraordinarily  rough  country,  fifty 
pounds  would  be  sufficient.  The  advantage  would  be  that 
we  could  establish  a  sort  of  central  camp  at  the  farthest  spot 
to  which  the  mules  could  go,  and  then  make  exploring  expe- 
ditions with  the  llamas  to  carry  provisions  and  tools.  The 
llamas  are  not  bad  eating,  so  that  if  we  found  no  other  use 
for  them  they  would  assist  our  commissariat." 


92  THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  INCAS 

"  How  far  can  they  go  in  a  day,  Harry  ? " 

"  Ten  or  twelve  miles,  and  you  may  be  sure  that  that  is 
as  much  as  we  can  do  when  we  are  among  the  mountains." 

"  Then  I  should  think  they  would  be  very  useful.  I  sup- 
pose there  will  be  no  difficulty  in  buying  them  ? " 

"None  at  all.  A  good  many  are  brought  in  for  sale  to 
the  market  every  day.  Of  course  it  would  be  necessary  to 
get  strong  animals  accustomed  to  burdens." 

Before  starting  there  was  another  long  consultation  be- 
tween Harry  and  Dias  as  to  which  course  it  would  be  better 
to  adopt.  The  most-frequented  pass  through  the  mountains 
was  that  to  Paucartambo,  forty  miles  north-east  from 
Cuzco,  at  the  mouth  of  the  pass  that  leads  down  into  the 
plains.  Between  this  town  and  the  Carabaya  range,  a  hun- 
dred and  fifty  miles  to  the  south,  was  to  be  found  the  rich 
gold  deposit  to  which  Dias  had  referred.  So  far,  however, 
as  the  traditions  he  had  received  informed  him,  it  was  situ- 
ated near  the  slopes  of  the  Tinta  volcano,  and  between  that 
and  Ayapata.  The  direct  road  to  this  spot  was  extremely 
difficult,  and  he  was  of  opinion  that  the  journey  could  be 
more  easily  performed  by  going  to  Paucartambo  and  then 
skirting  the  foot  of  the  mountains. 

"You  will  find  no  difficulty  in  obtaining  food  as  you  go 
along,"  he  said;  "wild  turkeys,  pheasants,  and  other  birds 
are  to  be  met  with  in  that  district.  Moreover,  there  are 
many  plantations  which  have  been  deserted  owing  to  the 
depredations  of  the  Chincas,  a  tribe  who  live  on  the  tribu- 
taries of  the  Pueros,  or  as  it  used  to  be  called,  Rio  Madre  de 
Dios.  Here  you  will  find  fields  of  maize  still  growing,  sugar- 
cane, cacao,  and  rice.  One  after  another  the  estates  have 
been  abandoned;  at  some  of  them  the  whole  of  the  people 
on  the  farms  were  massacred,  and  in  all  the  danger  was  so 
great  that  the  proprietors  found  it  impossible  to  work  them. 
The  one  drawback  to  that  road  is  that  we  may  fall  in  with 
the  Chincas,  in  which  case  they  will  certainly  attack  us. 
However,  they  are  widely  scattered  through  the  forests,  and 


A  TROPICAL  FOREST  93 

we  may  not  fall  in  with  them.  On  the  other  hand,  the  track 
by  the  Tinta  mountain  from  Sicuani  is  extremely  difficult 
and  dangerous.  We  might  lose  several  of  our  animals  in 
traversing  it,  and  should  have  to  depend  entirely  on  what  we 
carried  for  food." 

"  Then  by  all  means  let  us  go  the  other  way,  Bias.  Were 
we  to  lose  some  of  our  mules  it  would  be  impossible  to  re- 
place them,  and  it  would  be  useless  to  find  gold  if  we  could 
not  carry  it  away." 

Two  days  later  they  started,  four  llamas  having  been  added 
to  the  caravan.  Dias  explained  that  it  would  not  be  neces- 
sary to  take  any  natives  to  attend  to  these  animals,  as,  once 
started,  they  would  follow  the  mules  without  difficulty,  es- 
pecially if  they  were  fed  with  them  before  starting.  Three 
days'  travelling  brought  them  to  the  little  town,  which  lay 
very  high  up  in  the  hills.  The  cold  here  was  bitter,  and  the 
party  needed  all  their  wraps,  and  were  glad  to  get  in  motion 
as  soon  as  it  was  light.  Passing  over  a  range  of  mountains 
above  Paucartambo,  where  a  thin  layer  of  snow  crunched 
under  their  feet,  they  began  the  tremendous  descent  into  the 
plain.  In  a  short  time  the  morning  mist  cleared  away.  The 
road  led  through  a  tropical  forest.  It  took  them  over  three 
hours  to  reach  the  river  Chirimayu,  a  descent  of  eleven  thou- 
sand feet  in  the  course  of  eight  miles. 

Here  they  halted  by  the  side  of  a  splendid  waterfall.  The 
hills  rose  up  perpendicularly  on  every  side  except  where  the 
little  river  made  its  way  through  the  gorge;  they  were 
covered  with  brushwood,  ferns,  and  creepers,  thick  with 
flowers  of  many  colours,  while  lofty  palms  and  forest  trees 
grew  wherever  their  roots  could  find  a  hold.  Splendid  butter- 
flies of  immense  size  flitted  about;  birds  of  many  kinds  and 
beautiful  plumage  flew  hither  and  thither  among  the  trees; 
humming-birds  sucked  the  honey  from  the  bright  flowers; 
parrots  chattered  and  screamed  in  the  upper  branches  of  the 
trees,  and  the  foam  and  spray  of  the  torrent  sparkled  in  the 
6un.  Harry  and  his  brother  stood  struck  with  admiration 


94  THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  INCAS 

at  the  loveliness  of  the  scene,  even  Donna  Maria  and  Jose 
ceased  their  chatter  as  they  looked  at  a  scene  such  as  they 
had  never  before  witnessed. 

"  It  is  worth  coming  all  the  way  from  England  to  see  this, 
Bertie." 

"It  is,  indeed.  If  it  is  all  like  this  I  sha'n't  mind  how 
long  Dias  takes  to  find  the  place  he  is  in  search  of." 

At  a  word  from  Dias  they  all  set  to  work  to  take  the  bur- 
dens off  the  animals.  A  place  was  cleared  for  the  tents. 
When  these  had  been  erected  Jose  collected  dried  sticks.  A 
fire  was  soon  lighted,  and  Maria  began  to  prepare  breakfast. 

"Is  it  unhealthy  here,  Dias?" 

"  Not  here,  sefiors ;  we  are  still  many  hundred  feet  above 
the  plain.  In  the  forest  there  it  is  unhealthy  for  whites, 
the  trees  grow  so  thickly  that  it  is  difficult  to  penetrate  them, 
swamps  and  morasses  lie  in  many  places,  and  the  air  is  thick 
and  heavy.  We  shall  not  go  down  there  until  we  need. 
When  we  must  descend  we  shall  find  an  abundance  of  maize, 
and  fruits  of  all  sorts.  The  savages  kill  the  people  they  find 
on  the  estates,  but  do  not  destroy  the  crops  or  devastate  the 
fields.  They  are  wise  enough  to  know  that  these  are  useful 
to  them,  and  though  they  are  too  lazy  to  work  themselves 
they  appreciate  the  good  things  that  others  have  planted." 

"  It  is  rather  early  to  make  a  halt,  Dias." 

"  We  have  work  to  do,  senor.  In  the  first  place  we  must 
find  a  spot  where  large  trees  stand  on  the  bank  of  the  torrrnt. 
Two  or  three  of  these  must  be  felled  so  that  they  fall  across 
it ;  then  we  shall  have  to  chop  off  the  branches,  lay  them  flat 
side  by  side,  and  make  a  bridge  over  which  to  take  animals. 
After  breakfast  we  must  set  about  this  work,  and  it  will  be 
too  late  before  we  finish  to  think  of  going  farther  to-day." 

"It  is  well  that  we  bought  four  good  axes  and  plenty  of 
rope  at  Cuzco,"  Harry  said. 

"  We  shall  want  them  very  often,  senor.  Three  large  tor- 
rents come  down  between  this  and  the  Tinta  volcano,  besides 
many  smaller  ones.  Some  rise  from  the  hills  to  the  north 


THEY    HALTED    BY   THE    SIDE    OF   A   SPLENDID    WATEKi'ALJ. 


A  TEOPICAL  FOREST  95 

of  us.  These  fall  into  others,  which  eventually  combine  to 
make  the  Madre  de  Dios.  So  far  as  is  known  boats  can  de- 
scend the  river  to  the  Amazon  without  meeting  with  any 
obstacle,  from  a  point  only  a  few  miles  from  the  head  of  the 
Pueros,  which  we  shall  presently  cross.  The  fact  that  there 
are  no  cataracts  during  the  whole  course  from  the  hills  to 
the  junction  of  the  rivers,  shows  how  perfectly  flat  the  great 
plain  is." 

"  And  did  either  the  Incas  or  the  Spaniards  ever  conquer 
the  Chincas  and  cultivate  these  splendid  plains?" 

"The  Incas  drove  them  back  some  distance,  senor,  and 
forced  them  to  pay  a  tribute,  but  they  never  conquered  them. 
Doubtless  they  cultivated  the  land  for  some  leagues  from 
the  foot  of  the  mountains,  as  did  the  Spaniards,  and  it  was 
considered  the  most  fertile  part  of  the  Montana,  as  their 
possessions  this  side  of  the  Cordilleras  were  called.  The 
Spaniards  tried  to  push  farther,  but  met  with  such  stout 
opposition  by  the  savages  that  they  were  forced  to  desist." 

All  were  ready  when  Maria  announced  breakfast.  After 
the  meal  they  sat  smoking  for  half  an  hour,  reluctant  to 
commence  the  heavy  work  before  them. 

"We  had  better  be  moving,  senor,"  Dias  said  as  he  rose 
to  his  feet,  "  or  we  shall  not  get  the  bridge  made  before 
dark." 

A  hundred  yards  from  the  camp  they  found  three  large 
trees  growing  close  to  each  other  near  the  edge  of  the 
stream.  Bertie  looked  at  them  with  an  air  of  disgust. 

"  This  will  be  worse  for  the  hands  than  rowing  for  twelve 
hours  in  a  heavy  boat." 

"  I  dare  say  it  will,"  Harry  agreed ;  "  but  it  has  got  to  be 
done,  and  the  sooner  we  set  about  it  the  better." 

"  I  shall  take  off  my  flannel  shirt,"  Bertie  said. 

"You  had  better  not,  senor,"  Dias  said,  as  he  saw  what 
the  lad  was  about  to  do.  "  There  are  many  insects  here  that 
will  sting  you,  and  the  bites  of  some  of  them  swell  up  and 
turn  into  sores.  Now,  senor,  I  will  take  this  tree.  The  next 


96  THE  TEEASUKE  OF  THE  INCAS 

is  not  quite  so  large,  will  you  take  that?  I  will  help  you 
when  I  am  finished  with  my  own.  Your  brother  and  Jose 
can  work  by  turns  at  the  other." 

It  was  hard  work,  for  the  trees  were  over  two  feet  across 
near  the  foot.  Dias  had  felled  his  before  the  others  had  cut 
half-way  through,  and  he  then  lent  his  aid  to  Harry,  who 
was  streaming  with  perspiration. 

"  You  are  not  accustomed  to  it,  senor.  You  will  manage 
better  when  you  have  had  two  or  three  months'  practice  at 
the  work." 

"I  did  not  bargain  for  this,  Harry,"  Bertie  said  as  he 
rested  for  the  twentieth  time  from  his  work.  "  Jaguars  and 
alligators,  Indians  and  bandits,  and  hard  climbing  I  was  pre- 
pared for,  but  I  certainly  never  expected  that  we  should  have 
to  turn  ourselves  into  wood-cutters." 

"  It  is  hard  work,  Bertie,  but  it  is  useless  to  grumble,  and, 
as  Dias  says,  we  shall  become  accustomed  to  it  in  two  or 
three  months." 

"  Two  or  three  months ! "  Bertie  repeated  with  a  groan ; 
"  my  hands  are  regularly  blistered  already,  and  my  arms  and 
back  ache  dreadfully." 

"  Well,  fire  away !  Why,  Jose  has  done  twice  as  much 
as  you  have,  and  he  has  hardly  turned  a  hair.  I  don't  sup- 
pose that  he  has  had  much  more  practice  than  you  have 
had,  and  he  is  nothing  like  so  strong." 

"  Oh,  I  dare  say !  if  he  has  never  cut,  his  ancestors  have, 
and  I  suppose  it  is  hereditary.  Anyhow,  I  have  been  doing 
my  best.  Well,  here  goes !  " 

Harry  laughed  at  his  brother's  theory  for  explaining  why 
Jose  had  done  more  work  than  he  had.  He  was  himself  by 
no  means  sorry  that  Dias  had  come  to  his  assistance,  and 
that  his  tree  was  nearly  ready  to  fall.  Jose  climbed  it  with 
the  end  of  a  long  rope,  which  he  secured  to  an  upper  bough. 
Dias  then  took  the  other  end  of  the  rope,  crossed  the  torrent 
by  the  tree  he  had  felled,  and  when  Jose  had  come  down  and 
Harry  had  given  a  few  more  cuts  with  the  axe,  he  was  able 


A  TEOPICAL  FOREST  97 

to  guide  the  tree  in  its  fall  almost  directly  across  the  stream. 
Then  he  took  Bertie's  tree  in  hand.  In  ten  minutes  this  was 
lying  beside  the  others.  It  took  three  hours'  more  work  to 
cut  off  the  branches  and  to  lay  the  trees  side  by  side,  which 
was  done  with  the  aid  of  one  of  the  mules.  The  smaller  logs 
were  packed  in  between  them  to  make  a  level  road,  and  when 
this  was  done  the  workers  went  back  to  the  little  camp.  The 
sun  was  already  setting,  and  Donna  Maria  had  the  cooking- 
pots  simmering  over  the  fire. 

"  That  has  been  a  hard  day's  work,"  Harry  said,  when  he 
and  his  brother  threw  themselves  down  on  the  grass  near 
the  fire. 

"  Hard  is  no  name  for  it,  Harry.  I  have  never  been  sen- 
tenced to  work  on  a  tread-mill,  but  I  would  cheerfully  chance 
it  for  a  month  rather  than  do  another  day's  work  like  this. 
The  palms  of  my  hands  feel  as  if  they  had  been  handling 
a  red-hot  iron,  my  arms  and  shoulders  ache  as  if  I  had  been 
on  a  rack.  I  seem  to  be  in  pain  from  the  tips  of  my  toes  to 
the  top  of  my  head." 

Harry  laughed. 

"  It  is  only  what  every  settler  who  builds  himself  a  hut 
in  the  backwoods  must  feel,  Bert.  It  is  the  work  of  every 
wood-cutter  and  charcoal-burner;  it  is  a  good  deal  like  the 
work  of  every  miner.  You  have  been  brought  up  too  soft, 
my  boy." 

"  Soft  be  hanged ! "  the  lad  said  indignantly ;  "  it  is  the 
first  time  I  have  heard  that  the  life  of  an  apprentice  on  board 
a  ship  was  a  soft  one.  I  have  no  doubt  you  feel  just  as  bad 
as  I  do," 

"  But  you  don't  hear  me  grumbling,  Bert ;  that  is  all  the 
difference.  I  expect  that,  of  the  two,  I  am  rather  the  worse, 
for  my  bones  and  muscles  are  more  set  than  yours,  and  it  is 
some  years  now  since  I  pulled  at  either  a  rope  or  an  oar." 

Bertie  was  silent  for  a  minute  or  two,  and  then  said  rather 
apologetically : 

"  Well,  Harry,  perhaps  I  need  not  have  grumbled  so  much, 


98  THE  TKEASUBE  OF  THE  INCAS 

but  you  see  it  is  a  pretty  rough  beginning  when  one  is  not 
accustomed  to  it.  We  ought  to  have  had  a  short  job  to 
begin  with,  and  got  into  it  gradually,  instead  of  having  six 
hours  on  end;  and  I  expect  that  the  backwoods  settler  you 
were  talking  about  does  not  work  for  very  long  when  he  first 
begins.  If  he  did  he  would  be  a  fool,  for  he  certainly  would 
not  be  fit  for  work  for  a  week  if  he  kept  on  till  he  had  nearly 
broken  his  back  and  taken  the  whole  skin  off  his  hands  by 
working  all  day  the  first  time  he  tried  it." 

"  There  is  something  in  that,  Bertie ;  and  as  we  are  in  no 
extraordinary  hurry  I  do  think  we  might  have  been  satisfied 
with  felling  the  trees  to-day,  and  cutting  off  the  branches 
and  getting  them  into  place  to-morrow.  Still,  as  Bias 
seemed  to  make  nothing  of  it,  I  did  not  like  to  knock  off 
at  the  very  start." 

"  The  meal  is  ready,  senor,"  Maria  said,  "  and  I  think  we 
had  better  eat  it  at  once,  for  the  sky  looks  as  if  we  were 
going  to  have  rain." 

"And  thunder  too,"  Dias  said.  "You  had  better  begin; 
Jose  and  I  will  picket  the  mules  and  hobble  the  llamas.  If 
they  were  to  make  off,  we  should  have  a  lot  of  trouble  in 
the  morning." 

The  aspect  of  the  sky  had  indeed  changed.  Masses  of 
cloud  hung  on  the  tops  of  the  hills,  and  scud  was  flying 
overhead. 

Maria  placed  one  of  the  cooking-pots  and  two  tin  plates, 
knives,  and  forks  beside  Harry  and  his  brother,  with  two 
flat  cakes  of  ground  maize. 

"  Sit  down  and  have  your  food  at  once,"  Harry  said  to 
her.  "  The  rain  will  be  down  in  bucketfuls  before  many 
minutes." 

They  were  soon  joined  by  Dias  and  Jose,  the  latter  bring- 
ing up  a  large  can  of  water  from  the  stream.  They  had  just 
finished  when  large  drops  of  rain  began  to  patter  on  the 
ground. 

"Never  mind  the  things,"  Harry  said  as  he  leapt  to  his 


A  TROPICAL  FOREST  99 

feet.  "  Crawl  under  shelter  at  once ;  it  is  no  use  getting 
a  wetting." 

All  at  once  made  for  the  tents;  and  they  were  but  just 
in  time,  for  the  rain  began  to  fall  in  torrents,  and  a  peal  of 
thunder  crashed  out  overhead  as  they  got  under  the  canvas. 

"  This  is  our  first  experience  of  this  sort  of  thing,"  Harry 
said,  as  he  and  his  brother  lit  their  pipes  half-sitting  and 
half-reclining  on  their  beds.  "  I  rather  wondered  why  Dias 
put  the  tents  on  this  little  bit  of  rising  ground,  which  did 
not  look  so  soft  or  tempting  as  the  level ;  but  I  see  now  that 
he  acted  very  wisely,  for  we  should  have  been  flooded  in  no 
time  if  we  had  been  lower  down.  As  it  is,  I  am  by  no  means 
sure  that  we  sha'n't  have  the  water  in.  Another  time  we 
will  take  the  precaution  to  make  trenches  round  the  tents 
when  we  pitch  them.  However,  we  have  got  a  waterproof 
sheet  underneath  the  beds,  so  I  expect  it  will  be  all  right." 

"  I  hope  so.  Anyhow,  we  had  better  see  that  the  edges 
are  turned  up  all  round,  so  that  the  water  cannot  run  over 
them.  By  Jove!  it  does  come  down.  We  can  hardly  hear 
each  other  speak." 

Suddenly  the  entrance  to  the  tent  was  thrust  aside. 

"  Here  is  a  candle,  senors." 

It  was  thrown  in,  and  Dias  ran  back  into  his  own  tent, 
which  was  but  a  few  yards  away,  before  Harry  could  re- 
monstrate at  his  coming  out. 

"The  candle  will  be  useful,  anyhow,"  Bertie  said.  "It 
is  almost  pitch-dark  now.  What  with  the  sun  going  down 
and  the  clouds  overhead,  it  has  turned  from  day  into  night 
in  the  past  five  minutes." 

Striking  a  match  he  lit  the  candle,  and  stuck  it  in  between 
his  shoes,  which  he  took  off  for  the  purpose. 

"  That  is  more  cheerful,  Harry." 

"Hullo!  what  is  that?" 

A  deep  sound,  which  was  certainly  not  thunder,  rose  from 
the  woods.  It  was  answered  again  and  again  from  different 
directions. 


100  THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  INCAS 

"  They  must  be  either  pumas  or  jaguars,  which  are  always 
called  here  lions  and  tigers,  and  I  have  no  doubt  Dias  will 
know  by  the  roar  which  it  is.  I  should  not  mind  if  it  were 
daylight,  for  it  is  not  pleasant  to  know  that  there  are  at  least 
half  a  dozen  of  these  beasts  in  the  neighbourhood.  We  may 
as  well  drop  the  cartridges  into  our  rifles  and  pistols.  I  be- 
lieve neither  of  these  beasts  often  attacks  men,  but  they 
might  certainly  attack  our  mules." 

The  storm  continued,  and  each  clap  of  thunder  was  suc- 
ceeded by  roars,  snarls,  and  hissing,  and  with  strange  cries 
and  shrieks.  During  a  momentary  lull  Harry  shouted: 

"  Is  there  any  fear  of  these  beasts  attacking  us  or  the  mules, 
Dias?" 

"No,  senor,  they  are  too  frightened  by  the  thunder  and 
lightning  to  think  of  doing  so." 

"  What  are  all  those  cries  we  hear  ?  " 

"Those  are  monkeys,  senor.  They  are  frightened  both 
by  the  storm  and  by  the  roaring  of  the  lions  and  tigers." 

"  Which  is  the  bigger,  Harry,  the  puma  or  the  jaguar?  " 

"I  believe  the  jaguar  is  the  bigger,  but  the  puma  is  the 
more  formidable  and  fiercer.  The  latter  belongs  to  the  same 
family  as  the  lion,  and  the  former  to  that  of  the  leopards. 
The  jaguar  is  more  heavily  built  than  the  leopard,  and 
stronger,  with  shorter  legs,  but  it  is  spotted  just  as  the  leop- 
ard is.  The  puma  is  in  build  like  the  lion,  but  has  no  mane. 
Both  prey  on  animals  of  all  kinds.  The  natives  say  they 
catch  turtles,  turn  them  over  on  their  backs  as  a  man  would 
do,  and  tear  the  shells  apart.  They  will  also  eat  fish;  but 
they  are  both  scourges  to  the  Indians  and  white  planters,  as 
they  will  kill  sheep,  horses,  and  cattle.  Of  course,  if  they  are 
attacked  by  men  and  wounded,  they  will  fight  desperately, 
as  most  wild  creatures  will ;  but  if  man  does  not  molest  them, 
they  are  quite  content  to  leave  him  alone,  unless  he  chances 
to  pass  under  a  tree  among  the  branches  of  which  they  are 
lying  in  wait  for  prey.  Both  of  them  can  climb  trees." 

"Well,  I  thought  I  should  have  slept  like  a  log,  Harry, 


A  TBOPICAL  FOREST  101 

after  the  work  that  I  have  done,  but  what  with  the  thunder 
and  the  patter  of  the  rain,  and  all  those  noises  of  beasts,  I 
don't  think  I  am  likely  to  close  my  eyes." 

"  We  shall  get  accustomed  to  the  noises  after  a  time,  Bert; 
but  at  present  I  feel  as  if  I  were  in  the  middle  of  a  travelling 
menagerie  which  had  been  caught  in  a  thunderstorm.  It  ia 
curious  that  all  animals  should  be  frightened  at  lightning, 
for  they  cannot  know  that  it  is  really  dangerous." 

"Yes,  I  know.  We  had  two  dogs  on  the  last  ship  I  was 
in.  A  clap  of  thunder  would  send  them  flying  down  the 
companion  into  the  cabin,  and  they  would  crouch  in  some 
dark  corner  in  a  state  of  absolute  terror.  They  would  do 
just  the  same  if  cannon  were  fired  in  salute,  or  anything  of 
that  sort.  I  suppose  they  thought  that  was  thunder." 

In  spite,  however,  of  the  noises,  Harry  and  his  brother  both 
dropped  off  to  sleep  before  long,  being  thoroughly  worn  out 
by  the  day's  work.  They  were  awakened  by  Dias  opening 
the  front  of  their  little  tent. 

"  The  sun  is  up,  senors,  and  it  is  a  fine  morning  after  the 
storm.  Maria  has  got  coffee  ready,  baked  some  cakes,  and 
fried  some  slices  of  meat." 

"All  right,  Dias!  we  will  be  out  directly.  We  will  first 
run  up  the  bank  a  short  distance,  and  have  a  dip." 

"  You  won't  be  able  to  swim,  senor.  The  bed  of  the  tor- 
rent is  full,  and  no  swimmer  could  breast  the  water." 

"All  right!  we  will  be  careful." 

Throwing  on  their  ponchos,  they  went  down  to  the  stream 
and  ran  along  the  bank. 

"  The  water  is  coming  down  like  a  race-horse,  Bert,  but 
just  ahead  it  has  overflowed  its  banks.  We  can  have  a  bath 
there  safely,  though  it  is  not  deep  enough  for  swimming." 

After  ten  minutes'  absence  they  returned  to  the  camp,  com- 
pleted their  dressing,  and  sat  down  to  breakfast. 

"  What  were  all  those  frightful  noises,  Dias  ?  Were  they 
pumas  or  jaguars?" 

"  They  were  both,  senor.     You  can  easily  tell  the  differ- 


102  THE  TBEASUEE  OF  THE  INCAS 

ence  in  the  sounds  they  make.  The  jaguar's  is  between  a 
roar  and  a  snarl,  while  the  puma's  is  a  sort  of  a  hissing  roar." 

As  soon  as  breakfast  was  over,  the  tents  were  packed  up 
and  the  mules  and  llamas  laden.  Bias  had  given  them  a 
feed  all  round  an  hour  before.  The  course  they  should  take 
had  been  already  agreed  upon;  they  must  descend  to  the 
plain,  for  it  would  be  next  to  impossible  to  cross  the  ravines 
on  the  mountain-side. 

"Each  stream  coming  down  from  the  hills,"  Dias  said, 
"  must  be  followed  nearly  up  to  its  source,  but  for  the  next 
seventy  or  eighty  miles  the  search  need  not  be  so  careful  as 
it  must  be  afterwards.  The  place  cannot  be  far  from  Tinta, 
but  somewhere  this  side  of  it.  We  need  not  hurry,  for  there 
are  two  months  to  spare." 

"  How  do  you  mean,  Dias  ?  " 

"  On  a  day  that  answers  to  the  21st  of  March,  Coyllur — 
that  is  a  star — will  rise  at  midnight  in  a  cleft  in  a  peak.  It 
can  be  seen  only  in  the  valley  in  which  the  stream  that  con- 
tains the  gold  runs  down.  This  is  what  my  father  taught 
me;  therefore  there  must  be  mountains  to  the  south-east, 
and  this  can  only  be  where  the  Cordilleras  run  east,  which 
is  the  case  at  Tinta." 

"  That  is  excellent  as  far  as  it  goes,  if  we  happen  to  be 
in  the  right  valley  at  the  time,  Dias,  but  it  would  not  help 
us  in  the  slightest  if  we  were  in  any  other  valley.  And  we 
should  have  to  wait  a  year  before  trying  in  another  place." 

"  Yes,  senor,  but  there  are  marks  on  the  rocks  of  a  particu- 
lar kind.  There  are  marks  on  rocks  in  other  valleys,  so  that 
these  should  not  be  distinguished  by  Spaniards  searching 
for  the  place.  I  should  know  the  marks  when  I  saw  them." 

"  Then  in  that  case,  Dias,  the  star  would  not  be  of  much 
use  to  us." 

"  I  know  not  how  that  might  be,  senor,  but  as  these  in- 
structions have  been  handed  down  from  the  time  when  the 
Spaniards  arrived,  it  must  surely  in  some  way  be  useful,  but 
in  what  way  I  cannot  say." 


A  TEOPICAL  FOREST  103 

"  At  any  rate,  Dias,  what  with  those  marks  you  speak  of, 
and  the  star,  it  will  be  hard  if  we  cannot  find  it.  I  suppose 
you  are'  sure  that  the  place  is  rich  if  we  do  light  upon  it  ? " 

"  Of  that  there  can  be  no  doubt,  senor.  Tradition  says 
that  it  was  the  richest  spot  in  the  mountains,  and  was  only 
worked  when  the  king  had  need  of  gold,  either  for  equipping 
an  army  or  on  some  special  occasion.  At  such  a  time  it 
would  be  worked  for  one  month,  and  then  closed  until  gold 
was  again  required.  However,  as  we  go  that  way  we  shall 
explore  other  valleys.  Gold  is  found  more  or  less  in  all  of 
them.  Possibly  we  may  find  some  rich  spot  which  we  can 
fall  back  upon  if  we  fail  in  our  search." 

"  But  I  hardly  see  how  we  can  fail,  with  the  star  and  those 
marks  on  the  rocks  to  aid  us." 

"  The  marks  may  have  disappeared,  senor,  and  in  that  case 
we  may  not  be  in  the  right  spot  when  the  star  rises ;  or  again, 
the  Incas  may  have  closed  the  approach  in  some  way  to  make 
the  matter  sure.  I  cannot  promise  that  we  shall  find  the 
gold;  but  I  shall  do  my  best  with  the  knowledge  that  has 
come  down  to  me.  If  I  fail,  we  must  try  in  other  directions. 
When  the  Spaniards  came,  forty  thousand  of  the  Incas'  peo- 
ple left  Cuzco  and  the  neighbouring  towns,  and  journeyed 
away  down  the  mountains  and  out  to  the  west.  Since  then 
no  reliable  news  concerning  them  has  been  heard,  but 
rumours  have  from  time  to  time  come  from  that  direction 
to  the  effect  that  there  is  a  great  and  wealthy  city  there. 
I  say  not  that  if  we  failed  here  we  should  attempt  to  find  it. 
The  dangers  from  the  savages  would  be  too  great.  There 
would  be  great  forests  to  traverse,  many  rivers  to  be  crossed. 
We  might  travel  for  years  without  ever  finding  their  city. 
When  we  got  there,  we  might  be  seized  and  put  to  death,  and 
if  we  were  spared  we  might  not  be  able  to  make  off  with  the 
treasure.  I  mention  it  to  show  that  gold  may  be  found  in 
many  other  places  besides  this  valley  we  are  seeking." 

"I  quite  agree  with  you,  Dias,  that  unless  we  could  get 
some  indication  of  the  position  of  this  city,  if  it  now  exists, 


THE  TBEASURE  OF  THE  INCAS 

it  would  be  madness  to  attempt  to  search  for  it.  I  want  gold 
badly,  but  I  do  not  propose  that  we  should  all  throw  away 
our  lives  in  what  would  be  almost  a  hopeless  adventure. 
Even  if  I  were  ready  to  risk  my  own  life  on  such  a  mad  enter- 
prise, I  would  not  ask  others  to  do  the  same." 

Crossing  the  stream,  they  made  their  way  down  through 
the  forest.  It  was  toilsome  work,  as  they  often  had  to  clear 
a  way  with  axes  through  the  undergrowth  and  tangle  of 
creepers.  But  at  noon  they  reached  level  ground.  The  heat 
was  now  intense,  even  under  the  trees,  and  the  air  close  and 
oppressive.  On  the  way  down  Harry  shot  a  wild  turkey. 
When  they  halted,  this  was  cut  up  and  broiled  over  a  fire, 
and  after  it  had  been  eaten  all  lay  down  and  slept  for  two 
or  three  hours. 

"  Ought  we  not  to  set  a  guard  ?  "  Harry  had  asked. 

"No,  senor,  I  do  not  think  it  necessary.  Jose  will  lie 
down  by  the  side  of  the  llamas,  and  even  if  the  mules  should 
not  give  us  a  warning  of  any  man  or  beast  approaching,  the 
llamas  will  do  so.  They  are  the  shyest  and  most  timid  of 
creatures,  and  would  detect  the  slightest  movement." 

For  the  next  three  weeks  they  continued  their  way.  Dur- 
ing this  time  five  or  six  ravines  were  investigated  as  far  as 
they  could  be  ascended.  Samples  were  frequently  taken  from 
sand  and  gravel  and  washed,  but  though  particles  of  gold 
were  frequently  found,  they  were  not  in  sufficient  quantity 
to  promise  good  results  from  washing. 

"If  we  had  a  band  of  natives  with  us,"  Dias  said,  "we 
should  no  doubt  get  enough  to  pay  well — that  is  to  say,  to 
cover  all  expenses  and  leave  an  ounce  or  two  of  profit  to  every 
eight  or  ten  men  engaged — but  as  matters  stand  we  should, 
only  be  wasting  time  by  remaining  here." 

They  had  no  difficulty  in  obtaining  sufficient  food;  tur- 
keys and  pheasants  were  occasionally  shot;  a  tapir  was  once 
killed,  and,  as  they  had  brought  hooks  and  lines  with  them, 
fish  were  frequently  caught  in  the  streams.  These  were  of 
small  size,  but  very  good  eating.  But,  as  Dias  said,  they. 


AN  INDIAN  ATTACK  105 

could  not  hope  to  find  larger  species,  except  far  out  in  the 
plains,  where  the  rivers  were  deep  and  sluggish. 

The  work  was  hard,  but  they  were  now  accustomed  to  it. 
They  often  had  to  go  a  considerable  distance  before  they 
could  find  trees  available  for  bridging  the  torrents,  but,  on 
the  other  hand,  they  sometimes  came  upon  some  of  much 
smaller  girth  than  those  they  had  first  tackled.  The  labour 
in  getting  these  down  was  comparatively  slight.  Sometimes 
these  stood  a  little  way  from  the  stream,  but  after  they  were 
felled  two  mules  could  easily  drag  them  to  the  site  of  the 
bridge.  When  on  the  march,  Harry  and  his  brother  carried 
their  double-barrelled  guns,  each  with  one  barrel  charged 
with  shot  suitable  for  pheasants  or  other  birds,  the  other  with 
buck-shot.  Bias  carried  a  rifle.  Very  seldom  did  they  mount 
their  mules,  the  ground  being  so  rough  and  broken,  and  the 
boughs  of  the  trees  so  thick,  that  it  was  less  trouble  to  walk 
at  the  heads  of  their  animals  than  to  ride. 


CHAPTER  VH 

AN  INDIAN  ATTACK 

ONE  day  when  they  returned  from  exploring  a  valley, 
Harry  and  his  brother,  taking  their  rifles,  strolled  down 
an  open  glade,  while  Dias  and  Jose  unpacked  the  animals. 
They  had  gone  but  a  hundred  yards  when  they  heard  a  sound 
that  was  new  to  them.  It  sounded  like  the  grunting  of  a 
number  of  pigs.  Dias  was  attending  to  the  mules.  Harry 
and  Bertie  caught  up  their  guns.  Presently  a  small  pig  made 
its  appearance  from  among  some  trees.  Harry  was  on  the 
point  of  raising  his  gun  to  his  shoulder  when  Dias  shouted, 
"Stop,  do  not  shoot!" 

"  What  is  the  matter,  Dias  ? "  he  asked  in  surprise,  as  the 
latter  ran  up. 

"  That  is  a  peccary." 


106          THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  INCAS 

"  Well,  it  is  a  sort  of  pig,  isn't  it  ? " 

"  Yes,  senor.  But  if  you  were  to  kill  it,  we  might  all  be 
torn  in  pieces.  They  travel  through  the  forests  in  great 
herds,  and  if  one  is  injured  or  wounded,  the  rest  will  rush 
upon  its  assailant's.  You  may  shoot  down  dozens  of  them, 
but  that  only  redoubles  their  fury.  The  only  hope  of  escape 
is  to  climb  a  tree ;  but  they  will  keep  watch  there,  regardless 
of  how  many  are  shot,  until  hunger  obliges  them  to  retire. 
They  are  the  bravest  beasts  of  the  forests,  and  will  attack 
and  kill  even  a  lion  or  a  tiger  if  it  has  seized  one  of  their 
number.  I  beg  you  to  stroll  back  quietly,  and  then  sit  down. 
I  will  go  to  the  head  of  the  mules.  If  the  herd  see  that  we 
pay  no  attention  to  them,  they  may  go  on  without  interfering 
with  us.  If  we  see  them  approaching  us,  and  evidently  in- 
tending to  attack,  we  must  take  to  the  trees  and  try  to  keep 
them  from  attacking  the  mules;  but  there  would  be  small 
chance  of  our  succeeding  in  doing  so." 

He  and  Jose  at  once  went  up  to  the  mules,  and  stood  per- 
fectly quiet  at  their  head.  Harry  and  Bertie  moved  closely 
up,  laid  their  double-barrelled  guns  beside  them,  and  then 
sat  down.  By  this  time  forty  or  fifty  of  the  peccaries  had 
issued  from  the  trees ;  some  were  rooting  among  the  herbage, 
others  stood  perfectly  quiet,  staring  at  the  group  on  the  rise 
above  them.  Seeing  no  movement  among  them  nor  any 
sign  of  hostility,  they  joined  the  others  in  their  search  for 
food,  and  in  a  quarter  of  an  hour  the  whole  herd  had  moved 
off  along  the  edge  of  the  forest." 

"  Praise  be  to  the  saints ! "  Dias  said,  taking  off  his  hat 
and  crossing  himself.  "We  have  escaped  a  great  danger. 
!&.  hunter  would  rather  meet  a  couple  of  lions  or  tigers  than 
a  herd  of  peccaries.  These  little  animals  are  always  ready 
to  give  battle,  and  once  they  begin,  fight  till  they  die.  The 
more  that  are  killed  the  more  furious  do  the  others  become. 
Even  in  a  tree  there  is  no  safety.  Many  a  hunter  has  been 
besieged  in  a  tree  until,  overpowered  by  thirst,  he  fell  to 
the  ground  and  was  torn  to  pieces." 


AN  INDIAN  ATTACK  107 

"What  do  they  eat?"  Harry  asked. 

"They  will  eat  anything  they  kill,  but  their  chief  food 
is  roots.  They  kill  great  numbers  of  snakes.  Even  the 
largest  python  is  no  match  for  a  herd  of  peccaries  if  they 
catch  him  before  he  can  take  refuge  in  a  tree." 

"  Well,  then,  it  is  very  lucky  that  you  stopped  us  before 
we  fired." 

"Fortunate  indeed,  senor.  By  taking  to  the  trees  we 
might  have  saved  our  lives,  but  we  should  certainly  have 
lost  our  mules.  Both  pumas  and  tigers  kill  the  little  beasts 
when  they  come  across  stragglers.  And  it  is  well  that  they 
do,  for  otherwise  the  woods  would  be  full  of  them,  though 
fortunately  they  do  not  multiply  as  fast  as  our  pigs,  having 
only  two  or  three  in  a  litter.  They  are  good  eating,  but  it 
is  seldom  that  a  hunter  can  shoot  one,  for  if  he  only  wounds 
it,  its  shrieks  will  call  together  all  its  companions  within  a 
mile  round." 

"  Then  we  must  give  up  the  idea  of  having  pork  while  we 
are  among  the  mountains." 

"  Now,  are  you  going  to  keep  me  here  all  day,  Bias  ? " 
Maria  called  suddenly.  "  It  seems  to  me  that  you  have  for- 
gotten me  altogether." 

Harry  and  Bertie  could  not  help  laughing. 

Dias  had,  on  returning  to  the  mules,  taken  his  wife  and 
seated  her  on  a  branch  six  feet  from  the  ground,  in  order 
that,  should  the  peccaries  attack  them,  he  might  be  ready 
at  once  to  snatch  up  his  rifle  and  join  in  the  fight  without 
having  first  to  think  of  the  safety  of  his  wife.  He  now 
lifted  her  down. 

The  action  did  even  more  than  what  Dias  had  said  to  con- 
vince Harry  of  the  seriousness  of  the  danger  to  which  they 
had  been  exposed,  for  as  a  rule  Donna  Maria  had  scoffed  at 
any  offers  of  aid,  even  in  the  most  difficult  places,  and  with 
her  light  springy  step  had  taxed  the  power  of  the  others  to 
keep  up  with  her.  These  offers  had  not  come  from  Dias, 
who  showed  his  confidence  in  his  wife's  powers  by  paying 


108          THE  TEEASURE  OF  THE  INCAS 

no  attention  whatever,  and  a  grim  smile  had  often  played  on 
his  lips  when  Harry  or  his  brother  had  offered  her  a  hand. 
That  his  first  thought  had  been  of  her  now  showed  that  he 
considered  the  crisis  a  serious  one. 

"  I  thought  Dias  had  gone  mad,"  she  said,  as  she  regained 
her  feet.  "  I  could  not  think  what  was  the  matter  when  he 
began  to  shout  and  ran  towards  you.  I  saw  nothing  but  a 
little  pig.  Then,  when  he  came  slowly  back  with  you  and 
suddenly  seized  me  and  jerked  me  up  on  to  that  bough,  I 
felt  quite  sure  of  it,  especially  when  he  told  me  to  hold  my 
tongue  and  not  say  a  word.  Was  it  that  little  pig?  I  saw 
lots  more  of  them  afterwards." 

"Yes;  and  if  they  had  taken  it  into  their  heads  to  come 
this  way  you  would  have  seen  a  good  deal  more  of  them  than 
would  be  pleasant,"  Dias  said.  "With  our  rifles  we  could 
have  faced  four  lions  or  tigers  with  a  better  hope  of  success 
than  those  little  pigs  you  saw.  They  were  peccaries,  a  sort 
of  wild  pig,  and  the  most  savage  little  beasts  in  the  forest. 
They  would  have  chased  us  all  up  into  the  trees  and  killed 
all  the  mules." 

"  Who  would  have  thought  it !  "  she  said.  "  Why,  when 
I  was  a  girl  I  have  often  gone  in  among  a  herd  of  little  pigs 
quite  as  big  as  those  things,  and  never  felt  the  least  afraid 
of  them.  I  must  have  been  braver  than  I  thought  I  was." 

"You  are  a  good  deal  sillier  than  you  think  you  are, 
Maria,"  Dias  said  shortly.  "  There  is  as  much  difference 
between  our  pig  and  a  peccary  as  there  is  between  a  quiet 
Indian  cultivator  on  the  Sierra  and  one  of  those  savage 
Indians  of  the  woods." 

"  I  suppose  I  can  light  a  fire  now,  Dias.  There  is  no  fear 
of  those  creatures  coming  back  again,  is  there  ? " 

"  No,  I  should  think  not.  'Fortunately  they  are  going  in 
the  opposite  direction,  otherwise  I  should  have  said  that  we 
had  better  stop  here  for  a  day  or  two  in  case  they  should 
attack  us  if  we  came  upon  them  again." 

The  next  day,  as  they  were  journeying  through  the  forest, 
at  the  foot  of  the  slopes  Jose  gave  a  sudden  exclamation. 


A1*    TNDIAN    SPIES    THE    EXPEDITION 


AN  INDIAN  ATTACK  109 

"What  is  it?  "  Bias  asked. 

"I  saw  a  naked  Indian  standing  in  front  of  that  tree;  he 
has  gone  now." 

"  Are  you  sure,  Jose  ?  " 

"  Quite  sure.  He  was  standing  perfectly  still,  looking  at 
us,  but  when  I  called  to  you  he  must  have  slipped  round  the 
tree.  I  only  took  my  eyes  off  him  for  a  moment;  when  I 
looked  again  he  was  gone." 

"  Then  we  are  in  for  trouble,"  Dias  said  gravely.  "  Of 
course  it  was  one  of  the  Chincas.  No  doubt  he  was  alone, 
but  you  may  be  sure  that  he  has  made  off  to  tell  his  com- 
panions he  has  seen  us.  He  will  know  exactly  how  many 
we  are,  and  how  many  animals  we  have.  It  may  be  twenty- 
four  hours,  it  may  be  three  or  four  days,  before  he  makes  his 
appearance  again;  but  it  is  certain  that,  sooner  or  later,  we 
shall  hear  of  him.  Hunters  as  they  are,  they  can  follow  a 
track  where  I  should  see  nothing;  and  so  crafty  are  they, 
that  they  can  traverse  the  country  without  leaving  the  slight- 
est sign  of  their  passage.  The  forest  might  be  full  of  them, 
and  yet  the  keenest  white  hunter  would  see  no  footprint  or 
other  mark  that  would  indicate  their  presence." 

"What  had  we  better  do,  Dias?" 

"  We  shall  probably  come  to  another  stream  before  night- 
fall, senor.  This  we  will  follow  up  until  we  get  to  some 
ravine  bare  of  trees.  There  we  can  fight  them ;  in  the  forest 
we  should  have  no  chance.  They  would  lie  in  ambush  for 
us,  climb  into  the  trees  and  hide  among  the  foliage,  and  the 
first  we  should  know  of  their  presence  would  be  a  shower  of 
arrows;  and  as  they  are  excellent  marksmen,  we  should 
probably  be  all  riddled  at  the  first  volley.  There  can  be  no 
sauntering  now,  we  must  push  the  animals  forward  at  their 
best  speed.  I  will  lead  the  way.  Do  you,  senor,  bring  up 
the  rear  and  urge  the  mules  forward.  I  shall  try  and  pick 
the  ground  where  the  trees  are  thinnest,  and  the  mules  can 
then  go  at  a  trot.  They  cannot  do  so  here,  for  they  would 
always  be  knocking  their  loads  off." 


110  THE  TBEASUBE  OF  THE  INCAS 

It  was  evening  before  they  arrived  at  a  stream.  Here  they 
made  a  short  halt  while  they  gave  a  double  handful  of  grain 
to  each  of  the  animals,  then  they  pushed  on  again  until  it 
was  too  dark  to  go  farther. 

"  Will  it  be  safe  to  light  a  fire,  Bias?  " 

"Yes,  that  will  make  no  difference.  They  are  not  likely 
to  attack  us  at  night.  Savages  seldom  travel  after  dark, 
partly  because  they  are  afraid  of  demons,  partly  because  they 
would  be  liable  to  be  pounced  upon  by  wild  beasts.  But  I 
do  not  think  there  is  any  chance  of  their  overtaking  us  until 
to-morrow.  The  man  Jose  saw  may  have  had  companions 
close  at  hand,  but  they  will  know  that  we  are  well  armed, 
and  will  do  nothing  until  they  have  gathered  a  large  number 
and  feel  sure  that  they  can  overpower  us.  They  will  proba- 
bly take  up  the  track  to-morrow  at  daylight;  but  we  have 
made  a  long  march,  and  can  calculate  that  we  shall  find  some 
defensible  position  before  they  overtake  us.  Jose  and  I  will 
keep  watch  to-night." 

"  We  will  take  turns  with  you,  Dias." 

"  No,  senor ;  my  ears  are  accustomed  to  the  sounds  of  the 
forests,  yours  are  not.  If  you  were  watching  I  should  still 
have  no  sleep." 

The  night  passed  without  an  alarm. 

An  hour  before  daylight  Dias  gave  all  the  animals  a  good 
feed  of  corn,  and  as  soon  as  it  was  light  they  again  started. 
They  were  already  some  distance  up  the  mountain,  and  after 
eight  hours'  travelling  they  arrived  at  a  gorge  that  suited 
their  purpose.  For  two  hundred  yards  the  rocks  rose  per- 
pendicularly on  each  side  of  the  stream,  which  was  but  some 
thirty  feet  wide.  No  rain  had  fallen  for  some  days,  and  the 
water  was  shallow  enough  at  the  foot  of  the  cliff  for  the 
mules  to  make  their  way  among  the  fallen  rocks,  through 
which  it  rushed  impetuously.  At  the  upper  end  the  cliffs 
widened  out  into  a  basin  some  fifty  yards  across. 

"We  cannot  do  better  than  halt  here,"  Dias  said.  "In 
two  or  three  hours  we  can  form  a  strong  breast-work  on  the 


AN  INDIAN  ATTACK  111 

rocks  nearly  out  to  the  middle  of  the  stream,  where  the  cur- 
rent is  too  swift  for  anyone  to  make  his  way  up  against  it." 

"  Are  they  likely  to  besiege  us  long,  Dias  ?  " 

"  That  I  cannot  say ;  but  I  do  not  think  they  will  give  it 
up  easily.  Savages  learn  to  be  patient  when  roaming  the 
forest  in  search  of  game.  Their  time  is  of  no  value  to  them ; 
besides,  they  are  sure  to  lose  many  if  they  attack,  and  will 
therefore  try  to  get  their  revenge." 

"  They  may  have  to  give  it  up  from  want  of  food." 

Dias  shook  his  head. 

"  There  are  sure  to  be  plenty  of  fish  in  the  river,  and  they 
will  poison  some  pool  and  get  an  abundance.  With  their 
bows  and  arrows  they  can  bring  down  monkeys  from  the  trees, 
and  can  snare  small  animals.  However,  senor,  we  can  talk 
over  these  things  to-morrow.  We  had  best  begin  the  breast- 
work at  once  while  Maria  is  cooking  dinner,  which  we  need 
badly  enough,  for  we  have  had  nothing  but  the  maize  cakea 
we  ate  before  starting." 

Working  hard  till  it  was  dark,  they  piled  up  rocks  and 
stones  till  they  formed  a  breast -work  four  feet  high  on  both 
sides.  Some  twelve  feet  in  the  centre  were  open.  They  had 
chosen  a  spot  where  so  many  fallen  rocks  lay  in  the  stream 
that  it  needed  comparatively  little  labour  to  fill  up  the  gaps 
between  them. 

"  I  thought  wood-chopping  bad  enough,"  Bertie  said  as 
they  threw  themselves  down  on  the  ground  after  completing 
their  labour,  "but  it  is  a  joke  to  this.  My  back  is  fairly 
broken,  my  arms  feel  as  if  they  were  pulled  out  of  the  sockets, 
my  hands  are  cut,  I  have  nearly  squeezed  two  nails  off." 

"  It  has  been  hard  work,"  Harry  agreed ;  "  still,  we  have 
made  ourselves  fairly  safe,  and  we  will  get  the  walls  a  couple 
of  feet  higher  in  the  morning.  We  shall  only  want  to  add  to 
them  on  the  lower  face  in  order  to  form  a  sort  of  parapet 
that  will  shelter  us  as  we  lie  down  to  fire,  so  it  won't  be 
anything  like  such  hard  work.  Then  we  will  fill  in  the  rocks 
behind  with  small  stones  and  sand  to  lie  down  upon." 


112          THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  INCAS 

"  They  will  never  be  able  to  fight  their  way  up  to  it,"  Dias 
said. 

"  We  need  have  no  fear  on  that  score.  The  question  is, 
can  they  get  down  into  this  valley  behind  us;  the  rocks  look 
very  steep  and  in  most  places  almost  perpendicular." 

"  They  are  steep,  senor ;  but  trees  grow  on  them  in  many 
places,  and  these  savages  are  like  monkeys.  We  shall  have 
to  examine  them  very  carefully  when  we  have  finished  the 
wall.  If  we  find  that  it  is  possible  for  anyone  to  get  down, 
we  must  go  up  the  next  gorge  and  see  if  we  can  find  a  better 
position." 

"  I  suppose  you  think  we  are  safe  for  to-night,  Dias  ?  " 

"I  don't  think  they  will  try  to  come  up  through  the 
stream.  They  have  keen  eyes,  but  it  would  be  so  dark  down 
there  that  even  a  cat  could  not  see.  They  will  guess  that 
we  have  stopped  here,  and  will  certainly  want  to  find  out 
our  position  before  they  attack.  One  or  two  may  come  up 
as  scouts,  and  in  that  case  they  may  attack  at  daybreak.  Of 
course  two  of  us  will  keep  watch;  we  can  change  every  three 
hours.  I  will  take  the  first  watch  with  your  brother,  and 
you  and  Jose  can  take  the  next." 

"Jose  had  better  sleep,"  Maria  put  in;  "he  watched  all 
last  night.  My  eyes  are  as  good  as  his,  and  I  will  watch  with 
Don  Harry." 

Harry  would  have  protested,  but  Dias  said  quietly: 

"  That  will  be  well,  Maria,  but  you  will  have  to  keep  your 
tongue  quiet.  These  savages  have  ears  like  those  of  wild  ani- 
mals, and  if  you  were  to  raise  your  voice  you  might  get  an 
arrow  in  the  brain." 

"I  can  be  silent  when  I  like,  Dias." 

"It  is  possible,"  Dias  said  dryly;  "but  I  don't  remember 
in  all  these  years  we  have  been  married  that  I  have  known 
you  like  to  do  so." 

"I  take  that  as  a  compliment,"  she  said  quietly,  "for  it 
shows  at  least  that  I  am  never  sulky.  Well,  Don  Harry, 
do  you  accept  me  as  a  fellow  watcher  ? " 


AN  INDIAN  ATTACK  113 

"  Certainly  I  shall  be  very  glad  to  have  you  with  me ;  and 
I  don't  think  that  you  need  be  forbidden  to  talk  in  a  low 
tone,  for  the  roar  of  the  water  among  the  rocks  would  pre- 
vent the  sound  of  voices  from  being  heard  two  or  three  yards 
away." 

Accordingly,  as  soon  as  it  became  dark  Bias  went  to  the 
wall  with  Bertie.  Jose,  after  a  last  look  at  the  mules, 
wrapped  himself  in  a  blanket  and  lay  down. 

"I  think  I  had  better  turn  in  to  the  tent,"  Harry  said; 
"  we  have  had  two  days'  hard  work,  and  the  building  of  that 
wall  has  pretty  nearly  finished  me,  so  if  I  don't  get  two  or 
three  hours'  sleep  to-night  I  am  afraid  I  shall  not  be  a  very, 
useful  sentinel." 

Five  minutes  later  he  was  sound  asleep,  and  when  his 
brother  roused  him  he  could  hardly  believe  that  it  was  time 
for  him  to  go  on  duty. 

"  Dias  is  waiting  there,  Will  you  come  down  ? "  the  latter 
said.  "  You  were  sleeping  like  a  top ;  I  had  to  pull  at  your 
leg  three  times  before  you  woke." 

"  I  am  coming,"  Harry  said  as  he  crawled  out.  "  I  feel 
more  sleepy  than  when  I  lay  down,  and  will  just  run  down 
to  the  stream  and  sluice  my  head,  that  will  wake  me  up  in 
earnest,  for  the  water  is  almost  as  cold  as  ice." 

When  he  came  back  he  was  joined  by  Donna  Maria,  and, 
taking  both  his  shot-gun  and  rifle,  he  went  forward  with  her 
to  the  barricade. 

"  So  you  have  neither  seen  nor  heard  anything,  Dias  ? " 

"  Nothing  whatever,  senor." 

"I  have  had  a  good  sleep,  Dias;  we  will  watch  for  the 
next  four  hours.  It  is  eleven  o'clock  now,  so  you  will  be  able 
at  three  to  take  it  on  till  daylight." 

"  I  will  send  and  call  you  again  an  hour  before  that,"  Dias 
said.  "  If  they  attack,  as  I  expect  they  will  as  soon  as  the 
dawn  breaks,  we  had  better  have  our  whole  force  ready  to 
meet  them." 

So  saying  Dias  went  off. 


114:  THE   TREASURE   OF   THE   INCAS 

"  This  is  scarcely  woman's  work,  Donna  Maria." 

"  It  is  woman's  work  to  help  defend  her  life,  senor,  as  long 
as  she  can.  If  I  found  that  the  savages  were  beating  us  I 
should  stab  myself.  They  would  kill  you,  but  they  might 
carry  me  away  with  them,  which  would  be  a  thousand  times 
worse  than  death." 

"  I  don't  think  there  is  any  fear  of  their  beating  us," 
Harry  said ;  "  certainly  not  here.  We  ought  properly  to  be 
one  on  each  side,  but  really  I  shirk  the  thought  of  wading 
through  the  river  waist-deep  at  that  shallow  place  we  found 
a  hundred  yards  up;  it  would  be  bad  enough  to  go  through 
it,  worse  still  to  lie  for  four  hours  in  wet  clothes." 

"  Besides,  we  could  not  talk  then,  senor,"  Maria  said  with 
a  little  laugh,  "  and  that  would  be  very  dull." 

"  Very  dull.  Even  now  we  must  only  talk  occasionally ; 
we  shall  have  to  keep  our  eyes  and  ears  open." 

"  I  don't  think  either  of  them  will  be  much  good,"  she 
said ;  "  I  can  see  the  white  water  but  nothing  else,  and  I  am 
sure  I  could  not  hear  a  naked  footstep  on  the  rocks." 

"It  is  a  good  thing  the  water  is  white,  because  we  can 
make  out  the  rocks  that  rise  above  the  surface.  When  our 
eyes  get  quite  accustomed  to  the  dark  we  should  certainly 
be  able  to  see  any  figures  stepping  upon  them  or  wading  in 
the  water." 

"  I  could  see  that  now,  senor.  I  think  it  will  be  of  ad- 
vantage to  talk,  for  I  am  sure  if  I  were  to  lie  with  my  eyes 
straining,  and  thinking  of  nothing  else,  they  would  soon 
begin  to  close." 

Talking  occasionally  in  low  tones,  but  keeping  up  a  vigi- 
lant watch,  they  were  altogether  hidden  from  the  view  of 
anyone  coming  up  the  stream,  for  they  exposed  only  their 
eyes  and  the  top  of  their  heads  above  the  rough  parapet.  No 
attempt  had  been  made  to  fill  up  the  spaces  between  the 
Btones,  so  that,  except  for  the  rounded-  shape,  it  would  be 
next  to  impossible  to  make  them  out  between  the  rough  rocks 
of  the  crest.  Harry  had  laid  his  double-barrelled  gun  on  the 


"DO    TOO    SEE    THEM?"     MARIA    WHISl'EBEL 


AN  INDIAN  ATTACK  115 

parapet  in  front  of  him.  He  had  loaded  both  barrels  with 
buck-shot,  feeling  that  in  the  darkness  he  was  far  more  likely 
to  do  execution  with  that  weapon  than  with  a  rifle. 

They  had  been  some  two  hours  on  watch  when  Donna 
Maria  touched  his  arm  significantly.  He  gazed  earnestly  but 
could  see  nothing.  A  minute  later,  however,  a  rock  about 
fifteen  yards  away  seemed  to  change  its  shape.  Before,  it 
had  been  pointed,  but  just  on  one  side  of  the  top  there  was 
now  a  bulge. 

"  Do  you  see  them  ?  "  Maria  whispered.  "  I  can  make  out 
one  above  the  rocks ;  the  other  is  standing  against  the  wall." 

There  was  no  movement  for  two  or  three  minutes,  and 
Harry  had  no  doubt  that  they  were  examining  the  two  black 
lines  of  stones  between  which  the  water  was  rushing. 

"  There  are  two  others  on  this  side,  senor,"  Maria 
whispered. 

The  pause  was  broken  by  the  sharp  tap  of  two  arrows 
striking  on  the  stones  a  few  inches  below  their  heads. 

"  Well,  you  have  begun  it,"  Harry  muttered. 

He  had  already  sighted  his  gun  at  the  head  half-hidden 
by  the  rock.  He  now  pulled  the  trigger,  and  then,  turning, 
he  fired  the  other  barrel,  aiming  along  the  side  of  the  canon 
where  the  two  men  seen  by  his  companion  must  be  standing. 
The  head  disappeared,  and  loud  cries  broke  from  the  other 
side.  The  stillness  that  had  reigned  in  the  valley  was  broken 
by  a  chorus  of  shrieks  and  roars,  and  the  air  overhead  thrilled 
with  the  sound  of  innumerable  wings.  Harry  on  firing  had 
laid  down  the  fowling-piece  and  snatched  up  his  rifle. 

"  Do  you  see  any  others  ?  " 

"  Two  have  run  away ;  the  one  against  the  rocks  on  the 
other  side  was  wounded,  for  I  saw  him  throw  up  his  arms, 
and  it  was  he  who  screamed.  The  man  by  him  dropped 
where  he  stood;  the  one  behind  the  rock  is  killed,  I  saw  his 
body  carried  away  in  the  white  water." 

Half  a  minute  later  Dias  and  Bertie  came  up. 

"  So  they  have  come,  senor  ?  " 


116          THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  INCAS 

"Yes,  there  were  four  of  them.  Your  wife  saw  them, 
though  I  could  only  make  out  one.  They  shot  two  arrows 
at  us,  and  I  answered  them.  The  man  I  saw  was  killed,  and 
Donna  Maria  said  that  one  on  the  other  side  also  fell,  and 
another  was  wounded." 

"  That  was  a  good  beginning,"  Dias  said.  "  After  such 
a  lesson  they  will  attempt  nothing  more  to-night,  and  I 
doubt  whether  they  will  come  down  in  the  morning.  They 
can  get  sight  of  the  barricades  from  that  bend  a  hundred 
yards  down,  and  I  don't  think  they  will  dare  come  up  when 
they  see  how  ready  we  are  for  them." 

"  Well,  we  will  work  out  our  watch  anyhow,  Dias.  Now 
that  I  see  how  sharp  Donna  Maria's  eyes  are  I  have  not  the 
least  fear  of  being  surprised." 

"  I  will  stop  with  you,"  Bertie  said ;  "  I  shall  have  no 
chance  of  going  off  to  sleep  again  after  being  wakened  up 
like  that." 

"  If  you  are  going  to  stop,  Bertie,  you  had  better  go  back 
and  fetch  a  blanket,  it  is  chilly  here;  then  if  you  like  you 
can  doze  off  again  till  your  watch  comes." 

"  There  is  no  fear  of  that,  Harry.  I  have  been  eight-and- 
forty  hours  on  deck  more  than  once.  I  will  warrant  myself 
not  to  go  to  sleep." 

In  spite  of  this,  however,  in  less  than  ten  minutes  after 
his  return  Bertie's  regular  breathing  showed  that  he  was 
sound  asleep.  Harry  and  Maria  continued  their  watch,  but 
no  longer  with  the  same  intentness  as  before.  They  were 
sure  that  Dias  would  not  have  lain  down  unless  he  felt  per- 
fectly certain  that  the  Chincas  would  make  no  fresh  move 
until  the  morning,  and  they  chatted  gaily  until,  at  two 
o'clock,  Dias  came  up. 

"Everything  is  quiet  here,  Dias.  My  brother  is  fast 
asleep,  but  I  will  wake  him  now  that  you  have  come  up." 

"  Do  not  do  so,  senor ;  he  worked  very  hard  building  the 
walls  to-day.  If  I  see  anything  suspicious  I  will  rouse  him. 
We  may  have  work  to-morrow,  and  it  is  much  better  that 
he  should  sleep  on." 


AN  INDIAN  ATTACK  117 

"  Thank  you,  Bias !  the  fatigue  has  told  on  him  more  than 
on  us;  his  figure  is  not  set  yet,  and  he  feels  it  more." 

He  walked  back  to  the  tents  with  Maria. 

"If  you  wake  just  as  daylight  breaks  please  rouse  me," 
be  said. 

"I  shall  wake,  senor;  I  generally  get  up  at  daybreak. 
That  is  the  best  time  for  work  down  in  the  plain,  and  I  gen- 
erally contrive  to  get  everything  done  before  breakfast  at 
seven." 

Harry  slept  soundly  until  he  was  called. 

"  The  sky  is  just  beginning  to  get  light,  senor." 

He  turned  out  at  once.  Jose  was  already  feeding  the 
mules. 

"  You  had  better  come  along  with  me,  Jose,  and  bring  that 
gun  of  yours  with  you.  If  the  savages  do  attack,  it  will  be. 
well  to  make  a  forcible  impression  on  them." 

Greatly  pleased  with  the  permission,  Jose  took  up  the  old 
musket  he  carried  and  accompanied  Harry. 

"  What  have  you  got  in  that  gun,  Jose  ?  " 

"  The  charge  of  buck-shot  that  you  gave  me  the  other  day, 
senor." 

"  All  right !  but  don't  fire  unless  they  get  close.  The  shot 
will  not  carry  far  like  a  bullet;  but  if  fired  when  they  are 
close  it  is  better  than  any  bullet,  for  you  might  hit  half  a 
dozen  of  them  at  once." 

Jose  had  been  allowed  to  practise  at  their  halting-places, 
and  though  he  could  not  be  called  a  good  shot,  he  could  shoot 
well  enough  to  do  good  execution  at  thirty  or  forty  yards. 

Bertie  was  still  asleep. 

"  Everything  quiet,  Dias  ?  " 

"  I  have  seen  nothing  moving  since  I  came  out." 

"  Now,  Bertie,"  Harry  said,  stirring  his  brother  up  with 
his  foot.  "  All  hands  on  deck !  " 

Bertie  sat  up  and  opened  his  eyes.  "  What  is  up  now  ? " 
he  said.  "  Ay,  what,  is  it  you,  Harry,  and  Jose  too  ?  I  must 
have  been  asleep !  " 


118  THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  INCAS 

"Been  asleep!  Why,  you  went  off  in  the  middle  of  my 
watch,  and  Dias  has  been  on  the  look-out  for  over  three 
hours." 

"  Oh,  confound  it !  You  don't  mean  to  say  that  I  have 
slept  for  over  five  hours  ?  Why  didn't  you  wake  me,  Dias  ?  " 
he  asked  angrily. 

"  Two  eyes  were  quite  enough  to  keep  watch,"  Dias  said. 
"I  should  have  waked  you  if  I  had  seen  anything  of  the 
savages.  Besides,  Don  Harry  said  you  might  as  well  go  on 
sleeping  if  nothing  happened,  and  I  thought  so  too." 

"  I  feel  beastly  ashamed  of  myself,"  Bertie  said.  "  I  don't 
want  to  be  treated  like  a  child,  Harry." 

"  No,  Bertie,  and  I  should  not  think  of  treating  you  so ; 
but  you  had  had  very  hard  work,  and  were  completely 
knocked  up,  which  was  not  wonderful;  and  you  may  want 
all  your  strength  to-day.  Besides,  you  know,  you  would 
have  been  of  no  use  had  you  been  awake,  for  you  could  have 
seen  nothing.  Donna  Maria's  eyes  were  a  good  deal  sharper 
than  mine,  and  I  am  quite  sure  that,  tired  as  you  were,  Dias 
would  have  seen  them  coming  long  before  you  would.  We 
had  better  lie  down  again,  for  it  will  be  light  enough  soon 
for  them  to  make  us  out.  How  far  do  their  arrows  fly, 
Dias?" 

"  They  can  shoot  very  straight  up  to  forty  or  fifty  yards, 
but  beyond  that  their  arrows  are  of  very  little  use." 

"  Well,  then,  we  shall  be  able  to  stop  them  before  they  get 
to  that  range." 

Presently,  as  it  became  light,  a  figure  showed  itself  at  the 
turn  of  the  ravine. 

"Don't  fire  at  him,"  Harry  said;  "it  is  better  that  they 
should  think  that  our  guns  won't  reach  them.  Besides,  if 
the  beggars  will  leave  us  alone,  I  have  no  wish  to  harm  them." 

In  a  minute  or  two  the  figure  disappeared  behind  the  bend 
and  two  or  three  others  came  out.  "  They  think  that  our 
guns  won't  carry  so  far,  or  we  should  have  shot  the  first 
man." 


AN  INDIAN  ATTACK  119 

For  a  quarter  of  an  hour  there  were  frequent  changes, 
until  at  least  fifty  men  had  taken  a  look  at  them. 

"  Now  there  will  be  a  council,"  Harry  said  as  the  last  dis- 
appeared. "  They  see  what  they  have  got  before  them,  and 
I  have  no  doubt  they  don't  like  it." 

"  I  don't  think  they  will  try  it,  senor,"  Dias  said.  "  At 
any  rate  they  will  not  do  so  until  they  have  tried  every  other 
means  of  getting  at  us." 

Half  an  hour  passed,  and  then  Harry  said,  "I  will  stop 
here  with  my  brother,  Dias,  and  you  and  Jose  had  better 
examine  the  hillsides  and  ascertain  whether  there  is  any 
place  where  they  can  come  down.  You  know  a  great  deal 
better  than  I  where  active  naked-footed  men  could  clamber 
down.  They  might  be  able  to  descend  with  ease  at  a  place 
that  would  look  quite  impossible  to  me." 

Without  a  word  Dias  shouldered  his  rifle  and  walked  away, 
followed  by  Jose.  He  returned  in  two  hours. 

"  There  are  several  places  where  I  am  sure  the  savages 
could  come  down.  Now,  senors,  breakfast  is  ready;  I  will 
leave  Jose  here,  and  we  will  go  and  talk  matters  over  while 
we  eat.  The  tents  are  only  a  hundred  yards  away,  so  that 
if  Jose  shouts,  we  can  be  back  here  long  before  the  savages 
get  up,  for  they  could  not  come  fast  through  that  torrent." 

"It  seems  to  me,"  Harry  said  after  they  had  finished  the 
meal,  "that  if  there  are  only  one  or  two  points  by  which 
they  could  climb  down  we  could  prevent  their  doing  so  by 
picking  them  off ;  but  if  there  are  more,  and  they  really  come 
on  in  earnest,  we  could  not  stop  them." 

"  There  are  many  more  than  that,"  Dias  replied.  "  I  made 
out  certainly  four  points  on  the  right-hand  side  and  three 
on  the  left  where  I  could  make  my  way  down;  there  are 
probably  twice  as  many  where  they  could  descend." 

"  Then  I  should  say  that  the  first  thing  to  do  is  to  go  up 
through  the  gorge  above  and  see  whether  there  is  any  place 
that  could  be  better  defended  than  this.  If  we  find  such  a 
spot,  of  course  we  could  move  to  it;  if  not,  we  shall  have  to 


120          THE  TBEASUBE  OF  THE  IXCAS 

settle  whether  to  go  up  the  gorge  till  we  get  to  some  place 
where  the  mules  can  climb  out  of  it,  or  stay  here  and  fight 
it  out.  By  camping  on  the  stream  at  a  point  where  it  could 
not  he  forded,  and  making  a  breast-work  with  the  bales, 
stones,  and  so  on,  I  think  we  could  certainly  beat  off  any 
attack  by  daylight,  but  I  admit  that  we  should  have  no 
chance  if  they  should  make  a  rush  during  the  night." 

"I  will  go  at  once,"  said  Bias,  "and  examine  the  river 
higher  up.  If  I  can  find  no  place  where  the  mules  can  climb, 
I  am  sure  to  be  able  to  find  some  spot  where  we  could  do 
so.  But  that  would  mean  the  failure  of  our  expedition,  for 
we  certainly  could  not  go  up  the  mountains,  purchase  fresh 
animals,  food,  and  tools,  and  get  down  to  the  place  we  are 
looking  for  until  too  late." 

"  That  would  be  serious,  Dias,  but  cannot  be  counted 
against  our  lives.  If  there  is  no  other  way  of  escape  from 
these  savages,  we  must  certainly  abandon  the  animals  and 
make  our  way  back  as  best  we  can.  In  that  case  we  must 
give  up  all  idea  of  finding  this  gold  stream.  The  star  would 
not  be  in  the  same  place  again  for  another  year,  and  even 
then  we  might  not  find  it;  so  we  must  make  up  our  minds 
to  do  our  best  in  some  other  direction.  That  point  we  must 
consider  as  settled.  I  should  not  feel  justified  in  risking  my 
brother's  life,  yours,  your  wife's,  and  your  nephew's,  by  re- 
maining here  to  fight  we  know  not  how  many  savages — for 
there  may  be  many  more  than  the  fifty  we  saw  this  morning, 
and  they  may  in  a  day  or  two  be  joined  by  many  others  of 
their  tribe." 

"I  should  not  like  to  lose  all  the  animals  and  go  back 
empty-handed,"  Dias  said  after  a  silence  of  two  or  three 
minutes,  "  unless  it  were  a  last  resource." 

"Nor  should  I,  Dias;  but  you  see,  if  we  linger  too  long 
we  may  find  it  impossible  to  retire,  we  may  be  so  hemmed 
in  that  there  would  be  no  chance  of  our  getting  through. 
For  the  day  of  course  we  are  safe.  The  savages  will  have 
to  decide  among  themselves  whether  to  give  the  matter  up, 


AN  INDIAN  ATTACK  121 

seeing  that  they  are  sure  to  lose  many  lives  before  they  over- 
power us.  Then,  if  they  determine  to  attack  us,  they  will 
have  to  settle  how  it  is  to  be  done.  Numbers  of  them  will 
go  up  to  the  top  of  the  hills  on  both  sides  and  try  to  find 
a  point  at  which  they  can  make  their  way  down;  others, 
perhaps — which  would  be  still  more  serious — may  go  farther 
up  into  the  hills  to  find  a  spot  where  they  could  come  down 
and  issue  out  by  the  upper  gorge,  and  then  our  retreat  would 
be  altogether  cut  off.  All  this  will  take  time,  so  we  may 
feel  sure  that  no  attack  will  be  made  to-day." 

"  I  will  start  up  the  river  at  once,  senor.  Certainly  the 
first  point  to  be  settled  is  whether  we  can  find  a  more  defensi- 
ble spot  than  this,  the  second  whether  there  is  any  way  by 
which  the  animals  can  be  taken  up." 

"  There  must  surely  be  many  points  higher  up  where  this 
can  be  done." 

"Yes,  senor,  if  we  could  get  to  them.  But  you  saw  we 
had  difficulty  in  making  our  way  through  this  gorge;  there 
may  be  others  higher  up  where  it  would  be  impossible  either 
for  us  or  the  animals  to  pass." 

"I  did  not  think  of  that.  Yes,  that  must  be  so.  Well, 
you  had  certainly  better  go  at  once.  My  brother  will  relieve 
Jose,  and  after  the  boy  has  breakfasted  he  can  return  to  his 
post,  and  Bertie  can  join  me.  I  think  if  I  see  the  savages 
trying  to  find  a  path  I  will  open  fire  upon  them.  I  don't  say 
I  should  be  able  to  hit  them,  for  the  top  of  those  hills  must 
be  eight  or  nine  hundred  yards'  range,  and  it  is  not  easy  to 
hit  an  object  very  much  above  or  very  much  below  you ;  but 
it  is  important  that  they  should  know  that  our  weapons 
carry  as  far  as  that;  when  they  hear  bullets  strike  close  to 
them  they  will  hesitate  about  coming  lower  down,  and  unless 
they  do  come  within  two  or  three  hundred  feet  from  the 
bottom  they  cannot  be  sure  of  getting  down." 

Dias  nodded.  "  That  is  a  very  good  idea.  Another  cause 
of  delay  will  be  that  those  at  the  top  cannot  see  far  down 
the  rock  on  their  own  side,  so  they  will  have  to  start  by  guess- 


122  THE  TEEASTJEE  OF  THE  INCAS 

work.  Each  party  must  fix  upon  the  easiest  places  on  the 
opposite  side,  and  then  go  back  again  and  change  sides.  I 
don't  suppose  they  know  any  more  of  this  place  than  we  do. 
They  always  keep  down  in  the  plains,  ard  it  is  only  because 
they  met  us  down  there  that  they  have  followed  us  eo  far. 
I  believe  they  will  follow  on  as  long  as  they  think  there  is 
a  chance  of  destroying  us,  for  they  are  so  jealous  of  any 
•white  man  coming  into  what  they  regard  as  their  country 
that  they  would  spare  no  pains  to  kill  anyone  who  ventured 
there.  Now  I  will  go,  senor.  You  will  keep  near  this  end 
of  the  valley,  in  case  there  should  be  an  alarm  that  they  are 
coming  up  the  stream." 

"  Certainly ;  and  my  brother  shall  remain  with  Jose. 
With  his  rifle  and  the  two  double-barrelled  guns  and  Jose's 
musket  they  could  hold  the  ravine  against  anything  but  a 
rush  of  the  whole  tribe." 

An  hour  later  Harry  saw  a  number  of  figures  appear 
against  the  sky-line  on  both  sides.  As  they  were  clustered 
together,  and  would  afford  a  far  better  mark  than  a  single 
Indian,  he  took  a  steady  aim  at  the  party  on  the  southern 
hill  and  fired.  He  had  aimed  above  rather  than  below  them, 
as,  had  the  ball  struck  much  below,  they  might  not  hear  it, 
whereas,  if  it  went  over  their  heads,  they  would  certainly 
do  so.  A  couple  of  seconds  after  firing  he  saw  a  sudden 
movement  among  the  savages,  and  a  moment  later  not  one 
was  to  be  seen.  Donna  Maria,  who  was  standing  close  by 
him  watching  them,  clapped  her  hands.  "Your  ball  must 
have  gone  close  to  them,"  she  said,  "but  I  don't  think  you 
hit  anyone." 

"  I  did  not  try  to  do  so,"  he  said.  "  I  wanted  the  ball  to 
go  just  over  their  heads,  so  that  they  should  know  that  even 
at  that  distance  they  were  not  safe.  I  have  no  doubt  that 
astonishment  as  much  as  fear  made  them  bolt.  They'll  be 
very  careful  how  far  they  come  down  the  side  of  the  hill 
after  that.  Now  for  the  fellows  on  the  other  side." 

But  these  too  had  disappeared,  having  evidently  noticed 


AN  INDIAN  ATTACK  123 

the  effect  produced  upon  the  others.  After  a  pause  heads 
appeared  here  and  there  at  the  edge  of  the  crests.  Evidently 
the  lesson  had  impressed  them  with  the  necessity  for  pre- 
caution, as  they  no  longer  kept  together,  and  they  had  ap- 
parently crawled  up  to  continue  their  investigations.  Be- 
yond keeping  a  watch  to  see  that  none  had  attempted  to 
descend  the  slope  Harry  did  not  interfere  with  them.  At 
times  he  strolled  to  the  breast-work,  but  no  movement  had 
been  seen  in  that  direction.  In  two  hours  Dias  returned, 

"  The  gorge  above  is  a  quarter  of  a  mile  through,  and  very 
difficult  to  pass.  It  is  half -blocked  with  great  rocks  in  two 
or  three  places,  and  there  would  be  immense  difficulty  in 
getting  the  mules  over.  Beyond  that  it  widens  again,  but 
the  extent  is  not  more  than  half  what  it  is  here.  The  walls 
are  almost  perpendicular,  and  I  do  not  think  that  it  would 
be  possible  to  climb  them  at  any  point.  Farther  up  there 
is  another  ravine.  It  is  very  narrow — not  half  so  wide  as 
this — and  the  stream  rushes  with  great  velocity  along  it. 
Two  hundred  yards  from  the  entrance  the  rocks  close  in 
completely,  and  there  is  a  fall  of  water  sixty  or  seventy  feet 
high." 

"  Well,  that  settles  the  point,  Dias.  We  cannot  get  the 
animals  out  except  by  the  way  they  came  in.  As  for  our- 
selves, we  might  climb  up  at  some  point  in  this  ravine,  but 
not  in  the  others." 

"  That  is  so,  sefior,"  Dias  said.  "  The  outlook  is  a  bad 
one — that  is  to  say,  we  may  now  be  unable  to  reach  the  gold 
river  in  time — but  so  long  as  we  stay  here  we  may  be  safe. 
We  have  plenty  of  provisions,  we  can  catch  fish  in  the  stream, 
and  no  doubt  shall  find  birds  in  the  bushes  at  the  lower  part 
of  the  slopes.  I  doubt  whether  the  natives  will  dare  come 
down  those  precipices  at  night.  If  they  try  to  descend  by 
day,  we  can  very  well  defend  ourselves." 

"  The  only  question  is,  How  long  will  it  take  to  tire  them 
out?" 

"  That  I  cannot  tell.    We  know  so  little  of  the  Chincas 


124          THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  INCAS 

that  we  have  nothing  to  go  upon.  Some  savages  have 
patience  enough  to  wait  for  any  time  to  carry  out  their 
revenge  or  slay  an  enemy ;  others  are  fickle,  and  though  they 
may  be  fierce  in  attack,  soon  tire  of  waiting,  and  are  eager 
to  return  to  their  homes  again.  I  cannot  think  that  they 
will  speedily  leave.  They  have  assembled,  many  of  them 
perhaps  from  considerable  distances ;  they  have  had  two  days' 
march  up  here,  and  have  lost  at  least  two  of  their  comrades. 
I  think  they  will  certainly  not  leave  until  absolutely  con- 
vinced that  they  cannot  get  at  us,  but  whether  they  may 
come  to  that  decision  in  two  days  or  a  month  I  cannot  say." 


CHAPTER  VIII 

DEFEAT  OF  THE  NATIVES 

BEETIE,  who  had  joined  Harry  when  he  saw  Bias 
approaching,  had  listened  silently  to  their  talk,  then 
said: 

"  Don't  you  think  that,  by  loading  the  mules  and  moving 
towards  the  mouth  of  the  next  gorge  just  as  it  is  getting 
dark,  we  might  induce  the  Chincas  to  think  that  we  are  go- 
ing that  way,  and  so  to  follow  along  the  top  of  the  hills.  We 
might,  as  soon  as  night  has  fallen,  come  back  again  and  go 
down  the  stream.  Of  course  there  may  be  some  of  them  left 
to  watch  the  mouth  of  the  ravine,  but  we  could  drive  them 
off  easily  enough,  and  get  a  long  start  before  the  fellows  on 
the  hills  know  what  has  happened." 

None  of  the  others  spoke  immediately;  then  Harry  said: 

"The  idea  is  a  good  one  as  far  as  it  goes.  But  you  see 
at  present  we  are  in  a  very  strong  position.  If  we  leave 
this  and  they  overtake  us  in  the  woods,  we  shall  not  have 
the  advantages  that  we  have  here." 

"Yes,  I  see  that,  Harry;  but  almost  anything  is  better 
than  having  to  wait  here  and  lose  our  chance  of  finding  that 
gold." 


DEFEAT  OF  THE  NATIVES  125 

"We  can't  help  that,  Bertie.  You  know  how  much  that 
gold  would  be  to  me,  but,  as  I  said  this  morning,  I  will  run 
no  desperate  risks  to  obtain  it.  When  I  started  upon  this 
expedition  I  knew  that  the  chances  of  success  were  extremely 
slight,  and  that  there  might  be  a  certain  amount  of  danger 
to  encounter  from  wild  beasts  and  perhaps  brigands;  but  I 
had  never  calculated  upon  such  a  risk  as  this,  and  certainly 
I  am  not  prepared  to  accept  the  responsibility  of  leading 
others  into  it." 

There  was  again  silence,  which  was  broken  at  last  by  Bias. 

"  The  proposal  of  the  young  senor  is  a  very  bold  one ;  but, 
as  you  say,  Don  Harry,  after  leaving  our  position  we  should 
be  followed  and  surrounded.  In  the  forest  that  would  be 
very  bad.  I  should  say  let  us  wait  for  at  least  a  week;  that 
will  still  give  us  time  to  reach  the .  gold  valley.  By  then 
the  savages  may  have  left,  and  some  other  plan  may  have 
occurred  to  us;  at  any  rate,  at  the  end  of  a  week  we  shall 
see  how  things  go.  The  Indians  may  have  made  an  attack, 
and  may  lose  heart  after  they  are  repulsed.  They  may  find 
difficulty  in  procuring  food,  though  I  hardly  think  that  is 
probable.  Still,  many  things  may  occur  in  a  week.  If  at 
the  end  of  that  time  they  are  still  here,  we  can  decide  whether 
to  try  some  such  plan  as  the  young  senor  has  thought  of,  or 
whether  to  wait  until  the  Indians  leave,  and  then  return  to 
Cuzco ;  for  I  feel  certain  that  the  place  cannot  be  found  ex- 
cept by  the  help  of  the  star." 

"Well,  then,"  Bertie  said,  "could  we  not  hit  upon  some 
plan  to  frighten  them  ?  " 

"What  sort  of  plan,  Bertie?" 

"  Well,  of  course  we  could  not  make  a  balloon — I  mean  a 
fire-balloon — because  we  have  no  paper  to  make  it  with.  If 
we  could,  and  could  let  it  up  at  night,  with  some  red  and 
blue  fires  to  go  off  when  it  got  up  high,  I  should  think  it 
would  scare  them  horribly." 

"Yes;  but  it  would  be  still  better,  Bertie,  if  we  could 
make  a  balloon  big  enough  to  carry  us  and  the  mules  and 


126          THE  TBEASUBE  OF  THE  INCA8 

everything  else  out  of  this  place,  and  drop  us  somewhere 
about  the  spot  we  want  to  get  to." 

"  Oh,  it  is  all  very  well  to  laugh,  Harry !  I  said,  I  knew 
we  could  not  make  a  fire-balloon;  I  only  gave  that  as  an 
example.  If  we  had  powder  enough  we  might  make  some 
rockets,  and  I  should  think  that  would  scare  them  pretty 
badly." 

"  Yes,  but  we  haven't  got  powder,  Bertie.  We  have  plenty 
of  cartridges  for  sporting  purposes,  or  for  fighting;  but  a 
rocket  is  a  thing  that  wants  a  lot  of  powder,  besides  saltpetre 
and  charcoal,  and  so  on." 

"  Yes,  yes,  I  know  that,"  Bertie  said  testily.  "  My  sug- 
gestion was  that  we  might  frighten  them  somehow,  and  I 
still  don't  see  why  we  shouldn't  be  able  to  do  it.  Let  us  try 
to  hit  upon  something  else." 

"  There  is  a  good  deal  in  what  the  young  senor  says,"  Dias 
said  gravely.  "  All  the  Indians  are  very  superstitious,  and 
think  anything  they  don't  understand  is  magic.  It  is  worth 
thinking  over;  but  before  we  do  anything  else  we  might  find 
out  how  many  of  them  there  are  at  the  other  end  of  the 
ravine.  Only  a  few  may  be  left,  or  possibly  the  whole  tribe 
may  be  gathered  there  at  nightfall.  To-night  nothing  will 
be  settled,  but  to-morrow  night  I  will  go  down  the  torrent 
with  Jose.  I  will  carry  your  double-barrelled  guns  with  me, 
senor,  if  you  will  let  me  have  them.  When  we  get  to  the 
other  end  I  will  take  up  my  station  there.  Jose  is  small  and 
active.  He  could  crawl  forward  and  ascertain  how  many  of 
them  there  are.  If  he  should  be  discovered,  which  is  not 
likely,  he  would  run  back  to  me.  I  should  have  four  barrels 
ready  to  pour  into  them.  That  would  stop  them,  for  they 
would  think  we  were  all  there  and  were  going  to  attack  them, 
and  before  they  could  recover  from  their  alarm  we  should 
be  back  here  again." 

"That  seems  a  good  plan,  Dias;  but  I  do  not  see  why 
Bertie  and  I  should  not  go  down  with  you." 

"It  would  be  better  not,  senor.    In  the  first  place,  they 


DEFEAT   OF  THE   NATIVES 

may  have  men  posted  at  their  end  of  the  ravine,  and  though 
two  of  us  might  crawl  down  without  being  seen,  just  as  they 
crawled  up  here,  they  would  be  more  likely  to  see  four;  in 
the  next  place,  they  might  chance  to  crawl  down  the  hillside 
above  just  as  we  were  going  down  the  ravine,  and  Maria  and 
the  animals  would  be  at  their  mercy." 

"  They  are  hardly  likely  to  choose  the  exact  moment  when 
we  are  to  be  away,  but  I  quite  agree  with  you  that  the  risk 
must  not  be  run." 

"  Well,"  Bertie  said,  returning  to  his  former  idea,  "  if  Dias 
can  go  down  there,  I  still  think  that  somehow  we  might  get 
up  a  scare." 

Harry  laughed. 

"  Well,  you  think  it  over,  Bertie.  If  you  can  suggest  any- 
thing, I  promise  you  that  Dias  and  I  will  do  our  best  to 
carry  it  out." 

"  Very  well,"  Bertie  replied  gravely,  "  I  will  think  it  over." 

"Now,"  Harry  said,  "we  had  better  sleep  in  watches  at 
night;  one  must  be  at  the  breast-work,  and  one  must  listen 
for  noises  on  the  cliffs.  It  would  be  hardly  possible  for  a 
number  of  men  to  crawl  down  without  exciting  suspicion 
or  putting  in  motion  some  small  stones." 

"  I  do  not  think,  senor,"  Dias  said,  "  that  it  will  be  neces- 
sary to  keep  that  watch,  for,  as  we  knew  from  the  noise  when 
you  fired  last  night,  there  are  numbers  of  birds  and  at  lea&t 
one  beast — I  fancy  it  is  a  bear  from  the  sound  of  its  roar — 
up  there,  and  it  would  be  strange  if  a  number  of  men  mak- 
ing their  way  down  did  not  disturb  some  of  them;  indeed, 
if  one  bird  gave  the  alarm,  it  would  put  them  all  in  motion; 
besides,  there  are  certainly  monkeys,  for  I  heard  their  cries 
and  chattering  when  the  birds  flew  up.  Still,  it  is  perhaps 
as  well  that  one  of  us  should  watch.  Shall  we  divide,  as  we 
did  last  night?  only,  of  course,  Jose  takes  his  place  with 
you." 

"I  quite  agree  with  you,  Dias.  Bertie,  you  had  better 
get  three  hours'  sleep  at  once,  and  then  after  dinner  we  will 


128  THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  INCAS 

sit  by  the  fire  here,  smoke,  and  listen,  and  Bias  will  watch 
the  gorge  and  keep  one  ear  open  in  this  direction  too.  It  is  a 
comfort  to  know  that  if  we  cannot  get  away  by  going  up  the 
stream,  the  Indians  cannot  get  down  to  attack  us  from  that 
direction." 

Two  nights  and  days  passed.  The  Indians  were  still  on 
the  hills,  and  once  or  twice  men  came  down  some  distance, 
but  a  shot  from  Harry's  rifle  sent  them  speedily  back  again. 
The  third  night  Bertie  was  on  watch;  he  saw  nothing,  but 
suddenly  there  came  three  sharp  taps.  He  discharged  one 
barrel  of  his  gun  at  random  down  the  ravine,  and  then  held 
himself  ready  to  fire  the  other  as  soon  as  he  saw  anyone 
approaching.  It  was  an  anxious  minute  for  him  before  the 
other  three  ran  up. 

"  What  is  it,  Bertie ;  have  you  seen  anything  ?  " 

"  No,  but  three  arrows  tapped  against  the  wall,  so  I  fired 
one  barrel  to  call  you  up,  and  have  been  looking  out  for 
someone  to  take  a  shot  at  with  the  other;  but  I  have  not 
seen  anyone,  though,  as  you  may  imagine,  I  looked  out 
sharply." 

"  It  is  probable  that  after  the  lesson  they  got  the  other 
night  they  did  not  come  so  near,  and  that  they  merely  shot 
their  arrows  to  see  if  we  were  still  on  guard.  However,  we 
may  as  well  stay  here  for  a  bit  to  see  if  anything  comes 
of  it." 

Nothing  happened,  however,  and  they  returned  to  the 
tents.  Next  morning  Bertie  said  to  his  brother: 

"Look  here,  Harry,  I  have  been  thinking  over  that  plan 
of  mine.  I  really  think  there  is  something  to  be  done 
with  it." 

"  Well,  tell  us  your  plan." 

"In  the  first  place,  how  much  powder  can  you  spare?" 

"  There  is  that  great  powder-horn  Jose  drags  about  with 
him  to  charge  his  musket  with.  It  will  contain  about  a 
couple  of  pounds,  I  should  say." 

"  That  ought  to  do,  I  think." 


DEFEAT  01   THE  NATIVES  129 

"  Well,  what  is  your  plan,  Bertie  ? " 

"  In  the  first  place,  do  you  think  that  burned  wood  would 
do  for  charcoal  ?  " 

"  It  depends  on  what  purpose  you  want  it  for." 

"  I  want  it  to  prevent  the  powder  from  going  off  with  a 
bang." 

"  Oh,  well,  I  should  think  that  burned  wood  ground  to  a 
powder  would  be  just  as  good  as  charcoal.  So  you  are  still 
thinking  of  rockets?  Your  two  pounds  of  powder  won't 
make  many  of  them — not  above  two  fair-sized  ones,  and  the 
betting  is  they  would  not  go  up." 

"No,  I  am  not  thinking  of  rockets,  but  of  squibs  and 
crackers.  I  know  when  I  was  at  school  I  made  a  lot  of  these, 
and  they  worked  very  well.  My  idea  is  that  if  we  could  crawl 
up  close  to  where  the  Indians  are  assembled,  each  carrying 
a  dozen  squibs  and  as  many  crackers,  we  could  light  a  lot 
of  the  crackers  first  and  chuck  them  among  them,  and  then 
send  the  squibs  whirling  about  over  their  heads,  with  a  good 
bang  at  the  end.  It  would  set  them  off  running,  and  they 
would  never  stop  till  they  were  back  in  their  own  forests." 

"  Well,  I  really  do  think  that  that  is  a  fine  idea — a  splen- 
did idea!  The  only  drawback  is,  that  in  order  to  carry  it 
out  we  should  want  a  lot  of  strong  cartridge-paper,  and  we 
have  no  paper  except  our  note-books." 

"I  have  thought  of  that,  Harry,  though  it  bothered  me 
for  a  good  long  time.  You  see,  the  cases  are  only  to  hold 
the  powder  and  to  burn  regularly  as  the  powder  does.  At 
first  I  thought  we  might  find  some  wood  like  elder  and  get 
the  pith  out,  just  as  we  used  to  do  for  pop-guns,  but  that 
unfortunately  would  not  burn.  We  might,  however,  make 
them  of  linen." 

"  But  we  have  no  linen." 

"No,  but  our  leather  bed-bags  are  lined  with  that  coarse 
sort  of  stuff  they  cover  mattresses  with." 

"Tick,  you  mean?" 

"Yes,  tick.    Now,  it  struck  me  that  this  would  do  for 


130  THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  INCAS 

the  crackers.  We  should  have  to  cut  it  in  strips  three  or 
four  times  the  width  of  the  cracker.  Then  we  could  get 
Maria  to  make  us  some  stiff  paste;  starch  would  be  better, 
but  of  course  we  have  none.  Then,  taking  a  strip  of  the 
cloth,  we  would  turn  over  one  side  of  it  an  inch  from  the 
edge  to  make  a  sort  of  trough,  pour  in  the  gunpowder,  care- 
fully paste  all  the  rest  of  it  and  fold  it  over  and  over,  and 
then,  when  it  begins  to  dry,  double  it  up  and  tie  it  with 
string.  We  should  then  only  have  to  add  touch-paper,  which, 
of  course,  we  could  make  out  of  anything,  and  put  into  the 
end  fold.  We  could  break  up  a  few  of  the  cartridges,  soak 
them  in  wetted  powder,  and  then  cut  them  up  into  small 
pieces  and  stick  them  into  the  ends  of  the  crackers.  I  think 
that  would  do  first-rate.  I  have  made  dozens  of  crackers, 
and  feel  sure  that  I  could  turn  out  a  good  lot  of  them  now. 
The  squibs  will  be  easier;  we  should  only  have  to  paste  one 
side  of  the  strips  and  roll  them  up  so  as  to  form  suitable 
cases.  When  these  are  dry  we  should  put  a  thimbleful  of 
powder  into  each,  and  then  fill  them  up  with  powder  and 
charcoal.  In  order  to  make  sure  of  a  loud  bang  we  could 
undo  a  piece  of  rope  and  wind  the  strands  round  each  case 
for  an  inch  and  a  half  from  the  bottom.  Of  course,  when 
we  had  ground  down  the  burned  wood  we  would  mix  it  with 
powder  and  try  one  or  two  of  the  squibs,  so  as  to  find  the 
proportions  of  charcoal  to  be  used." 

"  You  have  evidently  thought  it  all  out  well,  and  I  think 
it  does  you  no  end  of  credit.  I  authorize  you  to  begin  the 
experiment  at  once.  The  first  thing,  of  course,  will  be  to 
get  some  wood  and  char  it.  I  should  think  that  you  would 
require  at  least  two  pounds  of  that  to  two  pounds  of  powder; 
but  you  had  better  only  do  a  little  at  first — just  enough  to 
make  an  experiment.  You  know  it  will  require  ramming 
down  well." 

When  Bias,  who  was  on  watch,  returned  he  found  Bertie 
at  work  burning  pieces  of  wood  and  scraping  off  the  charred 
surface.  Harry  explained  the  plan  to  him.  As  he  had  fre- 


DEFEAT   OF  THE   NATIVES  131 

quently  seen  fireworks  at  Lima,  Dias  quickly  grasped  the 
idea. 

"It  is  splendid,  sefior;  those  things  will  frighten  them 
far  more  than  guns.  They  will  think  so  many  devils  have 
got  among  them,  and  we  will  heighten  the  effect  by  discharg- 
ing every  piece  that  we  can  among  them.  In  their  confusion 
they  will  think  it  is  the  fireworks  that  are  killing  them. 
That  would  be  necessary,  for  otherwise  when  they  recovered 
from  the  panic  and  found  that  no  one  had  been  hurt,  they 
might  summon  up  courage  to  return." 

At  noon  the  next  day  Bertie  with  assistance  had  four  squibs 
and  two  crackers  ready  for  trial.  The  squibs  contained  re- 
spectively one,  two,  three,  and  four  parts  of  charcoal  to  one 
of  powder. 

"  Don't  hold  them  in  your  hand  while  you  are  trying  the 
experiment,  Bertie.  Lay  them  down  on  that  stone  one  by 
one  and  touch  them  off  with  a  burning  brand  from  the  fire, 
and  take  care  that  you  have  a  good  long  one." 

All,  with  the  exception  of  Jose,  who  was  on  watch,  gath- 
ered round.  The  first  squib  exploded  with  a  bang,  the  second 
did  the  same,  but  with  less  violence,  the  third  went  off  in  an 
explosive  spurt,  the  fourth  burned  as  a  squib  should  do, 
though  a  little  fiercely,  and  gave  a  good  bang  at  the  end. 

"  They  go  off  rather  too  rapidly,  Bertie,"  Harry  said ;  "  we 
should  want  them  to  whiz  about  in  a  lively  way  as  long  as 
possible.  I  should  put  in  five  parts  of  that  burned  wood 
next  time." 

"  I  will  try  at  once,"  Bertie  said.  "  I  have  got  lots  of 
cases  made,  and  enough  burned  stuff  to  make  eight  or  ten 
more." 

The  mixture  was  soon  made  and  another  case  charged, 
Bertie  ramming  down  the  mixture  with  a  stick  which  he  had 
cut  to  fit  exactly,  and  a  heavy  stone  as  a  hammer.  This  was 
done  after  each  half -spoonful  of  the  mixture  was  poured  in. 
Then  he  inserted  a  strip  of  his  touch-paper. 

"  I  will  take  this  in  my  hand,"  he  said,  "  there  is  no  fear 


132          THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  INCAS 

of  its  exploding.  I  want  to  throw  it  into  the  air  and  see 
how  it  burns  there." 

The  touch-paper  was  lit,  and  when  the  mixture  started 
burning  Bertie  waved  the  squib  high  above  his  head  and 
threw  it  into  the  air.  It  flew  along  some  fifteen  yards  and 
then  exploded. 

"I  don't  think  you  can  better  that,  Bertie.  But  you 
might  make  the  cases  a  bit  stronger;  it  burned  out  a  little 
too  quickly.  We  shall  probably  not  be  able  to  get  very  close 
to  them." 

The  cracker  was  equally  satisfactory,  except  that  they 
agreed  that  a  somewhat  larger  charge  of  powder  should  be 
used  to  increase  the  noise  of  the  explosion. 

"  Now,  Bertie,"  Harry  said,  "  we  will  put  all  hands  on  to 
the  business.  Donna  Maria  shall  make  a  good  stock  of  paste, 
and  cut  the  tick  into  strips  for  both  widths.  You  shall  make 
the  cases  for  the  squibs.  Dias  and  I  will  take  charge  of  the 
manufacture  of  charcoal.  That  will  be  a  long  job,  for  as 
you  have  two  pounds  of  gunpowder  we  shall  want  ten  of  this 
charred  wood." 

"  Not  quite  as  much  as  that,  Harry,  because  we  shall  want 
the  powder  alone  for  the  crackers  and  the  bangs  of  the 
squibs,  and  also  for  making  the  touch-paper  for  all  of  them." 

"  Well,  we  will  say  ten  pounds,  anyhow.  We  have  a  big 
stock  of  cartridges,  and  can  spare  a  few  of  them  for  so  good 
a  purpose." 

They  were  soon  at  work.  By  night  the  cases  were  all  made 
and  drying,  and  were  left  near  the  fire  so  as  to  be  ready  for 
filling  in  the  morning. 

Dias  then  said:  "Jose  will  go  down  to-night,  senor.  Of 
course  I  shall  go  with  him.  We  must  find  out,  in  the  first 
place,  how  near  the  mouth  of  the  ravine  the  savages  are 
gathered,  whether  they  keep  any  watch,  and  what  force  they 
have.  It  will  be  well  not  to  make  ourselves  known  to  them 
until  at  least  the  greater  part  are  gathered  there.  If  we  were 
only  to  scare  a  small  party,  the  others,  when  they  came  down. 


DEFEAT  OF  THE  NATIVES  133 

would  know  nothing  of  the  panic,  and  might  take  up  the 
pursuit." 

"I  wish  we  had  some  means  of  driving  them  off  the  top- 
of  the  hill,  Bias." 

"I  don't  see  how  that  can  be  done,  senor.  But  probably; 
in  another  day  or  two  they  will  all  go  down  of  their  own 
accord.  They  must  by  this  time  have  satisfied  themselves 
that  there  is  no  getting  at  us  from  above,  and  that  it  would 
be  too  dangerous  to  attempt  a  descent  here  under  the  fire  of 
our  guns.  They  will  be  very  likely,  instead,  to  go  down  to- 
morrow or  next  day  to  hold  a  general  council,  and  in  that 
case  they  may  decide  either  to  risk  climbing  down  at  night, 
or  to  make  a  grand  assault  on  the  breast-work.  Or,  if  they 
cannot  bring  themselves  to  that,  they  may  decide  to  leave 
half  a  dozen  men  to  watch  the  entrance,  while  the  rest  scatter 
themselves  over  the  forests.  In  that  case  the  watchers  would 
only  have  to  go  off  and  summon  them  when  we  started  again. 
As  they  might  well  imagine  that  we  should  not  find  another 
position  like  this  again,  I  expect  that  is  what  they  will  do. 
If  there  are  a  hundred  of  them,  they  will  find  it  difficult  to 
feed  themselves  long.  Certainly  the  men  on  the  hills  will 
get  little  to  eat  up  there." 

"Well,  Bias,  be  sure  you  warn  Jose  to  be  careful.  They 
may  be  posting  sentries  at  the  mouth  of  the  ravine,  just  as 
they  are  keeping  them  at  this  end." 

"  They  may  be,  but  I  do  not  think  it  is  likely ;  they  will 
know  that  we  could  not  abandon  our  animals,  and  that  if 
we  passed  through  they  would  have  no  difficulty  in  overtak- 
ing us,  and  would  then  have  us  at  their  mercy.  The  last 
thing  they  would  want  is  to  prevent  us  from  leaving  this 
position.  They  certainly  would  not  fear  an  attack  from  us, 
knowing  that  there  are  but  four  of  us  and  a  woman.  There- 
fore, I  think  it  probable  that  they  will  keep  at  some  little 
distance  from  the  entrance,  so  as  to  tempt  us  to  come  out." 

"I  hope  it  is  so,  Bias.  Still,  Jose  will  have  to  be  very 
careful." 


134:  THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  INCAS 

"He  will  be  careful,  senor.  He  knows  his  own  life  will 
depend  upon  his  crawling  along  as  noiselessly  as  a  snake, 
If  he  is  seen,  of  course  he  will  come  at  all  speed  back  to 
me;  and,  unless  he  is  hit  by  a  chance  arrow,  he  will  not  run 
much  risk,  for  by  the  time  they  are  ready  to  shoot  he  will 
be  out  of  sight  on  such  dark  nights  as  these,  and  in  the  shade 
of  the  mountains  and  trees.  I  shall  be  ready  to  send  foui 
barrels  ol  uuck-shot  among  them  when  they  come  up.  That 
is  sure  to  stop  them  long  enough  to  allow  us  to  get  under  the 
cover  of  your  rifles  before  they  can  overtake  us." 

"  I  don't  think  that  you  need  be  at  all  uneasy  about  him, 
senor.  We  will  start  in  an  hour's  time,  so  that  Jose  can  get 
near  them  before  they  go  to  sleep.  They  will  probably  have 
a  fire  burning,  but  if  not  the  only  guide  to  their  position 
will  be  the  sound  of  their  talking.  He  will  strip  before  he 
leaves  me,  so  that  if  they  catch  sight  of  him,  they  will  sup- 
pose that  he  is  one  of  themselves." 

Bertie  now  relieved  Jose,  who  came  back  and  had  a  long 
talk  with  Bias. 

"  We  are  ready  now,  senor." 

"Here  is  my  fowling-piece.  It  is  already  loaded  witl 
buck-shot.  Bertie  has  taken  down  his  rifle  and  gun,  and  will 
give  you  the  latter  as  you  pass.  I  suppose  Jose  will  take 
no  weapons  ? " 

"  Only  a  long  knife,  senor,  that  may  be  useful  if  he  comes 
upon  one  of  them  suddenly." 

At  the  barricade  Jose  stripped,  retaining  only  a  pair  of 
sandals.  These  were  as  noiseless  as  his  bare  feet,  and  would 
be  needed,  as  in  the  dark  he  might  tread  upon  a  thornj 
creeper,  or  strike  against  a  projecting  rock. 

"  Good-bye,  Jose !  "  Harry  said.  "  Now,  be  careful.  11 
would  be  a  great  grief  to  us  if  anything  happened  to  you." 

"I  will  be  careful,  senor.  The  Indians  won't  catch  me. 
never  fear." 

Harry  and  Bertie  both  shook  hands  with  him,  and  then  he 
and  Dias  stepped  into  the  water,  and,  keeping  close  along 
by  the  wall  of  rock,  started  on  their  perilous  expedition. 


DEFEAT  OF  THE  NATIVES  135 

"I  don't  like  it,  Bert,"  Harry  said  as  they  lost  sight  of 
them.  "It  seems  a  cowardly  thing  to  let  that  lad  go  into 
danger  while  we  are  doing  nothing." 

"  That  is  just  what  I  feel,  Harry.  I  would  have  volun- 
teered willingly,  but  he  will  do  it  a  great  deal  better  than 
either  you  or  I  could." 

"  There  is  no  doubt  about  that,"  Harry  agreed.  "  Of 
course  when  he  is  out  with  the  mules  he  of ti' '' '/travels  at 
night,  and  certainly  both  he  and  Dias  can  see  in  the  dark 
a  good  deal  better  than  we  can." 

There  was  suddenly  a  slight  movement  behind  them,  and 
they  turned  sharply  round.  "It  is  I,  senor.  I  am  anxious 
about  Dias,  and  I  didn't  like  staying  there  by  myself.  I 
thought  you  would  not  mind  if  I  came  up  and  sat  by  you." 

"  Certainly  not,"  Harry  said.  "  Sit  down  and  make  your- 
self comfortable.  I  do  not  think  there  is  any  fear  for  Dias. 
He  cannot  be  taken  by  surprise,  for  he  will  hear  by  their 
shouting  if  they  discover  Jose,  and  you  may  be  quite  sure 
that  he  will  bring  them  to  a  stand  with  the  four  shots  he 
will  fire  among  them  as  they  come  near,  and  so  will  get  a 
good  start.  They  might  run  faster  than  he  can  in  the  forest, 
but  will  scarcely  be  better  able  to  make  their  way  up  the 
torrent." 

When  Dias  had  been  gone  twenty  minutes  their  conversa- 
tion ceased,  and  they  sat  listening  intently.  In  another  ten 
minutes,  which  seemed  an  hour  to  them,  Harry  said,  "  The 
savages  can  keep  no  watch  at  their  end  of  the  torrent,  and 
Jose  must  have  got  safely  away." 

Very  slowly  the  time  passed. 

"  They  must  have  been  gone  an  hour,"  Bertie  said  at  last. 

"  Quite  that,  I  should  think,  Bertie.  At  any  rate,  we  may 
feel  assured  that  all  has  gone  well  so  far.  For,  though  we 
might  not  hear  the  yells  of  the  savages  over  the  rustle  and 
roar  of  the  torrent,  we  should  certainly  hear  gunshots." 

Another  half-hour  passed,  and  then  to  their  relief  they 
heard  Dias  call  out,  "  All  is  well !  "  some  little  distance  down. 


136          THE  TEEASUEE  OF  THE  INCAS 

In  three  or  four  minutes  they  could  see  the  two  figures  ap- 
proaching. "  Give  me  your  guns,  Dias,"  Harry  said,  "  and 
then  I  will  help  you  up  the  rocks.  They  might  go  off  if  you 
were  to  make  a  slip.  Now,  while  Jose  is  putting  on  his 
clothes,  tell  me  what  he  has  found  out." 

"I  have  not  heard  much,  senor.  As  soon  as  he  rejoined 
me  we  started  off,  and,  coming  up  the  torrent,  we  had  not 
much  chance  of  talking.  He  told  me  that  there  were  many 
of  them,  and  that  they  were  camped  at  some  little  distance 
from  the  stream,  just  as  I  thought  they  would  be." 

"  I  will  stay  here,  Harry,"  Bertie  said.  "  You  can  hear 
the  news  and  then  come  and  tell  me." 

"  Very  well.    I  will  be  back  before  long." 

Dias,  his  wife,  and  Harry  walked  down  towards  the  tent, 
and  Bertie  chatted  with  Jose  while  the  latter  was  dressing. 

"  You  must  feel  horribly  cold,  Jose,"  he  said. 

"  I  am  cold,  now  I  think  of  it.  I  did  not  notice  it  while 
I  was  watching  the  savages.  When  I  took  to  the  water  again 
I  did  feel  it.  Maria  will  make  me  a  cup  of  hot  coffee,  and 
then  I  shall  be  all  right  again.  It  was  good  fun  to  look  at 
them,  and  know  that  they  had  no  idea  that  I  was  so  close. 
If  I  could  have  understood  their  language,  I  should  have 
learned  something  worth  telling.  I  felt  inclined  to  scare 
them  by  giving  a  tremendous  yell,  and  I  know  I  could  have 
got  away  all  right.  They  were  sitting  round  a  big  fire  and 
would  not  have  been  able  to  see  in  the  dark.  I  should  have 
done  it,  only  I  thought  Dias  would  have  blamed  me  for  let- 
ting them  know  that  one  of  us  had  come  down  the  canon." 

"  He  would  have  been  angry,  Jose,  and  so  would  my 
brother,  for  they  would  certainly  have  set  a  watch  after- 
wards, which  would  have  spoilt  all  our  plans.  Now  run 
along,  your  teeth  are  chattering,  and  the  sooner  you  get 
something  warm  and  wrap  yourself  up  in  your  blankets  the 
better." 

The  fire  had  burnt  low  when  the  others  returned,  but  an 
armful  of  sticks  was  thrown  upon  it  at  once.  The  kettle- 


DEFEAT  OF  THE  NATIVES  137 

had  been  left  in  the  embers  at  its  edge  by  Maria  when  she 
started,  so  that  after  it  had  hung  in  the  blaze  for  two  or 
three  minutes  it  began  to  boil,  and  coffee  was  soon  ready. 
At  this  point  Jose  ran  in,  and  after  he  had  drunk  a  large 
mugful  he  told  them  what  he  had  learned. 

"When  I  left  Dias  at  the  mouth  of  the  ravine,"  he  said, 
"everything  seemed  quiet.  I  walked  along  the  edge  of  the 
stream  for  fifty  yards,  keeping  my  ears  open,  you  may  be 
sure,  and  I  saw  a  light  glow  close  under  the  rocks  some 
distance  on  the  other  side  of  the  river.  I  followed  the  stream 
down  till  I  came  to  a  place  where  there  was  a  quiet  pool, 
and  there  I  swam  across,  then  very  carefully  I  made  my  way 
to  where  I  could  see  the  light.  It  was  quite  three  hundred 
yards  from  the  river.  As  I  got  near  I  could  hear  talking;  I 
crawled  along  like  a  cat,  and  took  good  care  not  to  disturb 
a  leaf,  or  to  put  a  hand  or  a  knee  upon  a  dried  stick,  for  I 
could  not  tell  whether  they  had  anyone  on  watch  near  the 
fire.  I  perceived  no  one,  and  at  last  came  to  a  point  where 
I  could  see  the  flame.  It  was  in  an  opening  running  a  hun- 
dred feet  into  the  mountains,  and  perhaps  forty  feet  across 
at  the  mouth. 

"  In  this  were  sixty  or  seventy  savages  sitting  or  standing 
round  a  fire,  which  had  evidently  been  made  there  so  that 
anyone  coming  down  to  the  mouth  of  the  ravine  should  not 
see  it.  The  fire  was  not  a  very  large  one,  and  a  good  many 
of  the  men  were  gathered  outside  the  little  hollow.  Some 
of  them  were  talking  loudly,  and  it  seemed  to  me  that  they 
were  quarrelling  over  something.  Sometimes  they  pointed 
up  to  the  top  of  the  hills,  sometimes  towards  the  mouth  of 
our  ravine.  I  would  have  got  close  if  I  had  understood  their 
language.  Presently  I  saw  some  of  them  lying  down,  so  that 
I  could  see  that  the  quarrel,  whatever  it  was  about,  was  com- 
ing to  an  end,  and  that  they  were  going  to  lie  down  for  the 
night.  As  I  could  learn  nothing  further  I  crawled  away  and 
went  down  to  the  place  where  I  had  swum  the  river  before, 
and  then  crept  quietly  up  to  Dias,  who  was  on  the  look-out; 


138  THE  TREASUEE  OF  THE  INCAS 

for  although  I  had  seen  no  one  as  I  had  passed  before,  there 
might  still  have  been  some  of  them  on  the  watch." 

"  You  have  done  very  well,  Jose,"  Harry  said.  "  We  have 
learned  two  things.  First,  that  they  are  not  keeping  watch 
at  the  mouth  of  the  ravine,  either  because  they  feel  sure  that 
we  will  not  try  to  escape,  or  because  they  wish  us  to  leave 
and  are  giving  us  the  opportunity  of  doing  so.  In  the  second 
place,  you  have  learned  what  force  they  have  got  down  there, 
their  exact  position,  and  the  fact  that  they  were  evidently 
arguing  how  they  had  best  attack  us.  Well,  from  what  you 
say  there  is  every  chance  that  we  shall  be  able  to  come  upon 
them  without  being  noticed  till  we  are  close  enough  to  throw 
our  fire-works  among  them.  Really  the  only  thing  for  us  to 
learn  is  whether  many  of  them  are  still  at  the  top  of  the  hill." 

"  I  hardly  think  there  can  be  many ;  only  a  few  have  shown 
themselves  to-day.  They  must  know  very  well  that  we 
would  not  venture  to  climb  up  during  the  day,  and  that  it 
would  be  next  to  impossible  for  us  to  do  so  in  the  dark,  even 
if  we  made  up  our  minds  to  abandon  the  animals  and  all 
our  stores." 

"  Well,  I  should  say,  Dias,  there  is  no  reason  why  we 
should  put  the  matter  off.  It  will  not  take  us  long  to  load 
all  the  squibs  to-morrow.  My  opinion  is  that  at  dusk  we 
had  better  saddle  the  mules  and  pack  everything  on  them  in 
readiness  for  a  start;  then  at  ten  o'clock  we  can  go  down 
and  attack  the  savages.  The  best  moment  for  doing  so  will 
be  when  they  are  just  lying  down.  When  we  have  sent  them 
flying  we  will  come  up  the  torrent  again,  and  start  with  the 
mules  as  soon  as  it  is  daylight.  It  would  be  next  to  impossi- 
ble to  get  them  down  in  the  dark,  as  they  might  very  easily 
break  their  legs,  or  by  rubbing  against  the  wall  shift  their 
packs  and  tumble  them  into  the  water." 

"  It  would  be  a  pity  to  waste  time,  senor.  I  will  get  some 
torches  made  to-morrow.  Some  of  the  trees  have  resin,  and 
by  melting  this  I  can  make  torches  that  would  do  very  well. 
By  their  aid  we  could  get  the  mules  down  without  waiting 


DEFEAT  OF  THE  NATIVES 

for  daylight.  As  they  have  already  come  up  the  torrent,  they 
will  have  less  fear  in  going  down,  for  the  stream  will  help 
them  instead  of  keeping  them  back.  I  will  go  first  with  Jose 
and  his  mule;  she  is  as  steady  as  a  rock,  and  where  she  goes 
the  others  will  follow;  and  with  five  torches  along  the  line 
they  will  be  able  to  see  well  enough." 

"  Four  torches,  Dias.  Your  wife  rode  coming  up,  and 
she  had  better  ride  going  down." 

"  She  can  hold  a  torch  as  she  sits ;  it  does  not  matter  to 
us  if  we  get  wet  to  the  waist,  but  it  would  be  very  uncom- 
fortable for  her.  We  shall  have  to  put  the  largest  burdens 
onto  the  mules.  One  of  the  riding  mules  could  carry  the  two 
llamas,  or  if  you  think  that  that  is  too  much,  we  can  tie  each 
across  a  separate  mule.  They  were  more  trouble  coming  up 
than  all  the  mules  put  together.  We  had  pretty  nearly  to 
carry  them  through  the  deep  places,  though  at  other  points 
they  leapt  from  rock  to  rock  cleverly  enough." 

"  I  am  not  going  to  be  left  behind  if  you  are  going  to  the 
fight,  senor,"  Donna  Maria  said,  "  if  you  will  give  me  one 
of  your  pistols." 

"  We  could  manage  that,  I  should  think,"  Harry  said. 
"We  can  put  you  on  one  of  the  steadiest  mules  when  we 
first  go  down,  and  with  one  at  each  side  of  you  we  can  man- 
age it  very  well.  Jose  must  go  on  a  hundred  yards  ahead 
to  see  whether  any  of  the  savages  are  on  the  watch  at  their 
end,  and  if  so,  you  must  wait  till  we  have  cleared  them  out. 
You  see,  we  shall  have  no  hesitation  in  shooting  any  of  them 
if  necessary,  and  though  that  would  bring  the  rest  of  them 
down  on  us,  yet  when  our  squibs  and  crackers  begin  to  fly 
among  them,  you  may  be  sure  they  won't  face  us  for  an 
instant." 

Dias  grumbled  that  his  wife  had  better  stay  where  she 
was  till  they  went  back  for  the  mules ;  but  Harry  said :  "  I 
do  think,  Dias,  that  she  had  better  go  with  us.  It  would  be 
cruel  to  leave  her  now  that  we  are  going  into  a  fight — leave 
her  all  alone  to  tremble  for  our  lives,  with  a  knowledge  that 


140          THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  INCAS 

if  things  should  go  wrong  with  us  the  savages  will  soon  be 
up  here." 

"  Well,  senor,  if  you  think  so,  there  is  no  more  to  be  said." 

"  I  am  not  going  to  be  made  a  trouble  of,"  Maria  said. 
"I  shall  go  down  on  foot  like  the  rest  of  you.  I  will  take 
some  other  clothes  with  me,  so  that  when  you  all  come  back 
for  the  mules  I  can  change  into  them." 

"Perhaps  that  would  be  the  best  plan,"  Harry  agreed. 
"  Now  I  will  go  back  and  take  Bertie's  place.  It  is  my  turn 
to  be  on  watch,  and  he  will  be  wanting  to  hear  the  news." 

"  Well,  Harry,  is  it  all  right  ? "  Bertie  asked  as  he  heard 
his  brother  coming  up  to  him. 

"  It  couldn't  be  better !  There  are  sixty  or  seventy  of 
them  in  a  sort  of  little  ravine  three  hundred  yards  away, 
on  the  left-hand  side  of  the  river.  They  don't  seem  to  be 
keeping  guard  at  all,  and  if  they  are  not  more  careful  to- 
morrow night  we  shall  take  them  completely  by  surprise. 
We  are  going  to  saddle  all  the  mules  directly  it  gets  too  dark 
for  any  of  the  fellows  on  the  hills  to  see  us,  then  we  must 
set  to  work  and  pull  down  enough  of  the  barricade  here  to 
allow  them  to  pass.  We  ourselves,  when  we  go  down,  will 
cross  at  that  shallow  place  above  here,  and  go  down  the  river 
at  that  side,  otherwise  we  sha'n't  be  able  to  cross  it  except 
at  some  distance  beyond  the  other  end  of  the  torrent.  Of 
course  the  mules  must  go  down  this  side,  as  we  shall  want 
to  turn  to  the  right  when  we  get  off.  We  shall  make  our 
attack  about  ten  o'clock." 

Bertie  went  off,  and  three  hours  later  Dias  relieved  Harry. 
'As  soon  as  it  was  light  the  next  morning  Bertie  and  Jose 
set  to  work  to  fill  the  cases — there  were  a  hundred  squibs  and 
fifty  large  crackers. 

Donna  Maria  after  breakfast  went  out  and  returned  with 
a  number  of  flexible  sticks  of  about  half  an  inch  in  diame- 
ter; these  she  carried  into  her  tent,  where  she  shut  herself 
up  for  the  forenoon.  When,  at  one  o'clock,  she  came  out 
with  the  result  of  her  work,  it  resembled  a  chair  without  legs 
and  with  a  back  about  a  foot  wide  and  three  feet  high. 


DEFEAT  OF  THE  NATIVES  141 

"  What  in  the  world  have  you  got  there,  Donna  Maria  ? " 
Bertie  asked. 

"Don't  you  know?" 

"No,  I  have  never  seen  a  thing  like  it  before." 

"  This  is  the  thing  the  porters  use  for  carrying  weights, 
and  sometimes  people,  over  the  Cordilleras.  You  see  that 
strap  near  the  top  goes  round  the  man's  forehead,  and  when 
there  is  a  weight  in  the  chair  these  other  straps  pass  over 
his  shoulders  and  under  his  arms,  and  then  round  whatever 
is  on  the  seat." 

"  But  what  is  going  to  be  on  the  seat  ? " 

"  I  am,"  she  laughed.  "  Dias  is  so  overbearing.  It  had 
all  been  arranged  nicely,  as  you  know;  and  then  when  he 
spoke  to  me  afterwards  he  said,  '  The  first  thing  to-morrow 
morning,  Maria,  you  will  set  to  work  to  make  a  porter's 
chair,  and  I  shall  carry  you  down  the  stream.  No  words 
about  it,  but  do  as  you  are  told.'  Generally  Dias  lets  me 
have  my  own  way,  senor,  but  when  he  talks  like  that,  I  know 
that  it  is  useless  to  argue  with  him.  And  perhaps  it  is  best 
after  all,  for,  as  he  said  to  me  afterwards,  it  is  a  nasty  place 
for  men  to  get  along,  but  for  a  woman,  with  her  petticoats 
dragging  and  trailing  round  her,  it  would  be  almost  impossi- 
ble for  her  to  keep  her  footing." 

"  Well,  I  thought  the  same  thing  myself  when  we  were 
talking  about  it  yesterday,"  Bertie  said.  "  Of  course  I  did 
not  say  anything,  but  I  am  sure  Dias  is  right.  I  found  it 
very  hard  work  to  keep  my  footing,  and  I  really  don't  be- 
lieve that  I  could  have  done  it  if  I  had  been  dressed  as  a 
woman.  And  Dias  can  carry  you  like  that  ?  " 

"  Carry  me,  senor !  he  could  carry  three  times  that  weight. 
He  has  cut  himself  a  staff  seven  or  eight  feat  long  this  morn- 
ing to  steady  himself,  but  I  don't  think  there  was  any  need 
for  it.  Why,  it  is  a  common  thing  for  people  to  be  carried 
over  the  Cordilleras  so,  and  Dias  is  stronger  a  great  deal 
than  many  of  the  men  who  do  it.  As  he  said,  if  I  had  been 
going  through  on  foot  you  would  all  have  been  bothering 


142  THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  INCAS 

about  me.  And  it  is  not  as  if  two  people  could  go  abreast, 
and  one  help  the  other.  There  is  often  only  room  between 
the  rocks  for  one  to  pass  through,  and  it  is  just  there  where 
the  rush  of  the  water  is  strongest." 


CHAPTER  IX 

THE  SIGNAL  STAR 

DURING  the  afternoon  Dias,  who  had  been  keeping  a 
careful  look-out  at  the  cliffs,  said  to  Harry :  "  I  think, 
senor,  that  the  savages  are  leaving  the  hills.  An  hour  ago 
I  saw  a  man  walking  along  where  we  generally  see  them; 
he  was  going  straight  along  as  if  for  some  fixed  purpose, 
and  I  thought  at  once  that  he  might  be  bringing  them  some 
message  from  the  people  below  us.  I  lost  sight  of  him  after 
a  bit,  but  presently  I  could  make  out  some  men  moving  in 
the  other  direction.  They  were  keeping  back  from  the  edge, 
but  I  several  times  caught  sight  of  their  heads  against  the 
sky-line  when  there  happened  to  be  some  little  irregularity 
in  the  ground.  They  were  not  running,  but  seemed  to  me 
to  be  going  at  a  steady  pace.  Since  then  I  have  been  watch- 
ing carefully,  and  have  seen  no  one  on  the  other  side.  I 
think  they  have  all  been  sent  for,  and  will  be  assembled  this 
afternoon  at  the  mouth  of  the  torrent." 

"I  am  very  glad  to  hear  it,  Dias;  that  is  just  what  we 
wanted." 

"  In  one  way — yes,"  Dias  said.  "  It  would  be  a  great  thing 
for  us  to  catch  them  all  together,  for  I  have  no  fear  that 
they  will  stand  when  these  fireworks  begin  to  go  off  among 
them." 

"  What  is  the  drawback,  then  ? " 

"  It  is,  senor,  that  they  have  either  been  collected  because 
they  have  given  up  the  hope  of  catching  us  at  present,  and 
are  going  to  scatter  and  hunt  till  we  venture  out,  which 


THE  SIGNAL  STAB  143 

would  be  the  worst  thing  possible;  or  they  have  made  up 
their  minds  to  make  a  rush  upon  us." 

"  Don't  you  think  that  we  can  beat  them  back  ? " 

"Not  if  they  are  determined,  senor.  You  see,  we  can't 
make  them  out  till  they  are  within  twenty  or  thirty  yards 
of  us.  At  most  you  and  your  brother  could  fire  four  shots, 
then  you  would  take  up  your  rifles.  We  shall  have  then  only 
four  shots  left.  If  they  continue  their  rush  where  shall  we 
be?  There  would  be  two  of  us  on  one  wall  and  two  on  the 
other.  There  would  be  four  shots  to  fire  from  one  side  and 
four  from  the  other.  Then  the  end  would  come.  Two  on 
each  side  would  not  be  able  to  keep  back  the  rush  of  two 
or  three  score.  In  two  minutes  it  would  be  all  over." 

"Yes,  Bias,  I  see  that  if  they  were  determined  to  storm 
the  place  and  take  us  alive  they  could  do  it;  but  we  have 
the  fireworks." 

"  I  did  not  think  of  that.  Yes ;  but  having  once  worked 
themselves  up  and  being  mad  with  excitement,  even  that 
might  not  stop  them,  though  I  should  think  it  would.  Yes, 
I  believe  we  might  feel  assured  that  we  should  beat  them 
back,  and  if  so,  we  should  hear  no  more  of  them." 

"  If  I  knew  that  they  would  come,"  Harry  said,  "  I  would 
certainly  say  we  had  best  stay  and  defend  ourselves;  but 
we  can't  be  sure  that  that  is  their  motive  for  assembling. 
They  may,  as  you  say,  be  going  to  move  off,  leaving  perhaps 
half  a  dozen  men  to  watch  the  entrance  and  report  if  we 
attempt  to  escape.  That  would  be  fatal,  and  our  only  chance 
would  be  to  leave  everything  behind  and  endeavour  to  climb 
up  one  side  or  the  other;  and  even  that  might  not  avail  us, 
as  there  may  be  one  or  two  men  up  there  to  see  if  we  make 
off  that  way.  I  am  more  inclined  to  think  that  this  is  the 
course  that  they  will  take  rather  than  risk  a  heavy  loss  of 
life.  They  must  have  a  good  idea  of  what  it  would  cost 
them  to  take  the  place." 

"  What  do  you  think  we  had  better  do,  then,  senor  ? " 

"I  think  we  had  better  attack  them  as  soon  as  possible 


144  THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  INCAS 

after  nightfall.  It  is  likely  that  they  will  do  nothing  before 
morning ;  as  you  say,  they  do  not  like  moving  at  night,  and 
if  they  attack  it  will  not  be  until  shortly  before  daybreak. 
There  is  sure  to  be  a  palaver  when  the  men  who  have  been 
on  the  hills  come  down.  It  will  be  too  late  then  for  them 
to  go  back  before  night,  so  that  I  think  we  are  pretty  sure 
to  find  them  all  in  the  ravine  this  evening.  If,  when  we  get 
there,  we  find  the  place  empty,  we  must  come  to  a  decision 
as  to  what  our  best  course  will  be.  In  that  case  I  think 
we  ought  to  climb  the  hills  and  make  our  way  up  the  moun- 
tains as  rapidly  as  possible.  We  could  calculate  on  eight  or 
ten  hours'  start,  and  by  keeping  as  much  as  possible  on  the 
rocks,  might  hope  to  get  so  high  among  the  mountains  that 
they  would  not  be  able  to  follow  our  traces  and  overtake  us 
before  we  reach  a  point  where  they  would  not  dare  follow 
us.  In  that  case,  of  course  we  should  have  to  give  up  all 
hope  of  finding  the  gold  valley,  and  lose  the  mules  with  all 
our  belongings,  which  would  cripple  us  terribly." 
"Very  well,  senor;  I  think  that  is  the  best  plan." 
"  Then  we  will  settle  to  start  at  nine  o'clock,  Dias." 
They  then  discussed  the  arrangements  for  the  attack. 
Each  was  to  carry  a  glowing  brand,  and  when  he  got  there, 
was  to  sling  his  gun  behind  him  and  hold  twelve  squibs  in 
one  hand  and  the  brand  in  the  other.  When  they  approached 
within  throwing  distance  of  the  savages,  they  were  to  lay 
their  guns  down  beside  them,  and  then  Harry  was  to  put 
the  ends  of  the  squibs  against  his  brand,  and  hurl  the  whole 
of  them  among  the  Indians.  A  few  seconds  later  Bertie 
was  to  do  the  same,  while  Harry  fired  one  barrel  of  buck- 
shot. Bertie  was  to  fire  as  Dias  threw  a  dozen  crackers,  and 
then  Jose  was  to  throw  his  squibs.  Then  all  were  to  throw 
squibs  and  crackers  as  far  as  they  could  go;  and  the  other 
two  barrels  of  buck-shot  and  Jose's  musket  were  to  be  poured 
in.  By  this  time  they  calculated  the  savages  would  be  in 
full  flight,  and  the  three  rifles  could  then  be  used. 

Harry  was  to  hand  his  rifle  to  Dias  before  the  firing  began, 


THE  SIGNAL  STAB  145 

and  he  and  Bertie  were  to  slip  fresh  cartridges  into  these 
guns  and  recap  them  before  sending  off  the  last  batch  of 
their  fireworks,  so  as  to  have  them  in  readiness  either  to 
empty  their  contents  into  the  flying  Indians,  or  to  cover 
their  retreat  should  the  fireworks  fail  to  effect  the  panic 
they  hoped  for.  Their  pistols  were  also  to  be  reserved  until 
the  Indians  fled.  Donna  Maria  was  to  stay  by  the  water, 
and  start  at  once  on  her  way  back  if  Dias  shouted  to  her  to  do 
so.  Every  step  of  the  plan  settled  upon  was  repeated  again 
and  again,  until  there  was  no  possibility  of  any  mistake  be- 
ing made.  Maria  had  not  attended  the  council;  her  confi- 
dence in  her  two  white  friends  was  unbounded,  and  Bertie's 
invention  of  the  fireworks  had  placed  him  on  a  level  with 
his  brother  in  her  estimation.  She  therefore  quietly  went 
on  with  her  preparations  for  dinner  without  concerning  her- 
self as  to  the  details  of  the  affair. 

As  soon  as  it  was  dark  and  the  meal  eaten,  the  tents  were 
struck,  the  baggage  all  rolled  up  and  packed  on  the  animals, 
and  the  fireworks  divided.  When  everything  was  in  readi- 
ness they  went  together  and  made  a  breach  in  the  breast- 
work wide  enough  for  the  mules  to  pass.  At  nine  o'clock 
Maria  was  seated  in  the  carrying-chair,  and  strapped  on  to 
her  husband's  back;  then  four  brands  were  taken  from  the 
fire  and  the  party  started.  When  within  fifty  yards  of  the 
lower  end  of  the  ravine  Jose  went  forward,  and,  returning 
in  a  few  minutes,  reported  that  no  savages  were  on  guard. 
A  fire  was  burning  outside  the  mouth  of  the  ravine  where 
he  had  seen  them  on  the  evening  before,  and  from  the  reflec- 
tion on  the  rock  he  believed  that  another  fire  was  alight  in- 
side. His  report  caused  a  general  feeling  of  relief,  for  their 
great  fear  had  been  that  the  natives  might  have  made  off 
before  their  arrival. 

When  they  stepped  out  from  the  water  Dias  set  Maria 
down.  "You  understand,  Maria,"  he  said:  "the  moment 
I  call,  you  are  to  start  up  the  river." 

"  I  understand,"  she  said.  "  I  have  my  knife,  and  if  you 
do  not  rejoin  me  I  shall  know  how  to  use  it." 


146          THE  TEEASUKE  OF  THE  INCAS 

"  We  shall  rejoin  you,  Maria,"  Dias  said  confidently.  "  I 
believe  that  at  the  first  volley  of  fireworks  they  will  be  oS. 
They  must  be  more  than  human  if  they  are  not  scared,  as 
they  never  can  have  heard  of  such  things  before." 

Keeping  close  to  the  rock  wall,  they  went  along  in  single 
file  until  within  forty  or  fifty  yards  of  the  fire;  then,  going 
down  on  their  hands  and  knees,  they  crawled  up  a  slight  rise, 
from  the  top  of  which  they  could  see  a  hundred  or  more 
natives  gathered  round  a  fire.  One  was  addressing  the 
others,  who  were  seated  listening  attentively.  Laying  the 
guns  down  to  be  ready  for  instant  action,  and  keeping  them- 
selves concealed  in  the  herbage,  Harry  took  his  bundle  of 
squibs  from  his  pocket.  They  were  but  lightly  tied  together; 
slipping  off  the  string  he  applied  the  ends  to  the  brand. 
There  was  a  sudden  roar  of  fire,  and  waving  them  once  round 
his  head  he  hurled  them  into  the  midst  of  the  assembly. 
There  was  a  yell  of  astonishment  as  the  missiles  flew  hither 
and  thither,  exploding  with  loud  reports.  The  last  had  not 
exploded  when  Bertie's  handful  flew  among  them;  then 
came  the  parcel  from  Dias,  and  at  the  same  moment  Harry 
poured  a  barrel  of  buck-shot  among  them,  followed  by  a 
volley  of  crackers,  while  almost  simultaneously  Harry  threw 
his  squibs  and  Bertie  fired  a  volley  of  buck-shot.  For  a  mo- 
ment the  savages  were  paralysed,  then  many  of  them  threw 
themselves  on  their  faces  in  terror  of  these  fiery  demons, 
•while  others  started  in  headlong  flight. 

"  Send  them  off  as  quick  as  you  can ! "  Harry  shouted,  as 
he  discharged  his  second  barrel  into  the  flying  natives. 
Bertie  followed  suit,  and  then  both  paused  to  reload  while 
Dias  and  Jose  hurled  their  remaining  fireworks.  By  this 
time  the  last  of  the  natives  had  leapt  up  and  fled.  Jose's 
musket  and  the  three  rifles  cracked  out,  and  then  the  little 
party  rose  to  their  feet  and  joined  in  a  wild  "Hip,  hip, 
hurrah!" 

"  You  can  come  up,  Maria ;  they  have  all  gone ! "  Dias 
cried  out;  and  Maria  joined  them  a  minute  later.  More 


THE  SIGNAL  STAE  147 

than  a  score  of  natives  lay  dead  or  badly  wounded  round 
their  fire. 

"  What  are  we  to  do  with  the  wounded  ? "  Bertie  asked. 

"We  can  only  leave  them  where  they  are,"  Harry  said. 
"  Some  of  the  savages  may  have  wandered  away,  or  not  have 
come  down  from  the  hills,  and  will  return  here  unaware  of 
what  has  happened,  or  one  or  two  of  the  boldest  may  venture 
back  again  to  look  after  their  comrades.  At  any  rate,  we 
can  do  nothing  for  them." 

"  It  would  be  better  to  shoot  them,  senor,"  Dias  said. 

"No,  I  could  not  bring  myself  to  do  that,"  Harry  said. 
"Buck-shot,  unless  they  strike  in  a  body,  are  not  likely  to 
kill.  I  expect  they  are  more  frightened  than  hurt.  After 
we  have  gone  many  of  them  will  be  able  to  crawl  down  to 
the  river.  Savages  frequently  recover  from  wounds  that 
would  kill  white  men;  and  even  if  no  others  come  down, 
those  who  are  but  slightly  wounded  will  help  the  more  in- 
capable. We  have  cleared  the  way  for  ourselves,  which  was 
all  we  wanted,  and  have  taught  them  a  lesson  they  are  not 
likely  to  forget  for  many  years  to  come.  Let  us  go  back  at 
once  and  bring  down  the  mules.  I  suppose  you  will  sit  down 
by  the  stream,  and  wait  till  we  come  back,  Maria  ? " 

"  Yes,"  she  said,  "  there  is  nothing  to  be  afraid  of  now ; 
but  you  can  leave  me  one  of  your  pistols  in  case  one  of  these 
savages  may  be  shamming  dead." 

"Jose  will  wait  with  her,"  Dias  said.  "Now,  Jose,  you 
strike  up  a  song.  You  are  generally  at  it,  and  as  long  as 
they  hear  you  they  will  know  that  some  of  us  are  still  here, 
and  will  not  venture  to  move." 

"  You  take  my  gun,  Jose ;  it  is  loaded,"  Harry  said.  "  If 
any  of  them  should  move  and  try  to  crawl  away,  don't  fire 
at  them;  but  if  they  look  about  and  seem  inclined  to  make 
mischief,  shoot  at  once." 

Coming  down  with  the  animals  the  three  men  carried 
torches  in  each  hand.  The  mules  reached  the  mouth  of  the 
torrent  without  accident,  and  the  llamas  were  then  lifted 


14:8  THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  INCAS 

off  the  baggage  mules  which  had  carried  them,  and  all  were 
turned  loose  to  graze  on  the  rich  grass  near  the  edge  of  the 
river.  Jose  and  Dias  went  to  the  fire  in  the  ravine,  and 
returned  laden  with  burning  brands,  and  a  fire  was  soon 
blazing  near  the  water.  Two  of  them  kept  watch  by  turns 
at  the  spot  from  which  they  had  fired,  lest  any  of  the 
wounded  Indians  should,  on  recovering,  try  to  avenge  their 
loss  by  sending  arrows  down  amongst  the  party.  During  the 
night  four  of  the  fallen  Indians,  after  first  looking  round 
cautiously,  crawled  away,  and  the  watchers  could  hear  them 
running  fast  through  the  bushes  till  they  were  beyond  the 
light  of  the  fire. 

At  dawn  a  start  was  made.  The  river  was  crossed  at  the 
pool  where  Jose  had  swum  over.  Dias,  on  examination, 
found  that  the  water,  even  in  the  deepest  part,  was  not  more 
than  breast-high.  Accordingly  he  returned;  Maria,  kneel- 
ing on  one  of  his  shoulders  and  one  of  Harry's,  was  carried 
across  without  being  wetted.  Then  they  joined  the  animals, 
which  were  grazing  a  short  distance  away,  and  set  off  with- 
out delay.  Although  they  kept  a  sharp  look-out  they  saw 
no  more  of  the  Indians.  They  ascended  several  more 
streams  unobserved.  Rough  carvings  on  .the  face  of  several 
of  the  rocks  led  them  to  carry  their  excursions  farther  than 
usual,  but  beyond  a  few  ounces  of  gold,  washed  from  the 
stream,  they  found  nothing. 

"They  must  have  been  put  here  for  some  purpose,"  said 
Dias. 

"I  have  been  thinking  it  over,  Dias,  and  I  should  not  be 
surprised  if,  as  you  thought,  they  were  done  to  deceive 
searchers.  You  told  me  there  was  some  marks  by  which 
you  would  be  directed  in  the  gold  valley;  it  is  quite  likely 
that  other  marks  might  have  been  placed  in  the  valleys  so 
that  the  real  ones  would  not  be  particularly  noticed." 

"That  is  possible,  senor;  they  would  certainly  do  every- 
thing they  could  to  prevent  anyone  not  in  the  secret  from 
knowing.  The  mark  I  have  to  look  for  first  is  a  serpent. 
It  is  carved  on  a  rock  at  the  end  of  a  valley.'7 


THE  SIGNAL  STAB  14:9 

"  In  that  case  the  indication  of  the  star  would  not  be  nec- 
essary, Dias." 

"  That  may  be,  senor ;  but  the  valley  may  be  a  large  one, 
and  the  hiding-place  very  difficult  to  find,  so  that  even  when 
the  valley  was  known,  it  would  need  the  guidance  of  the  star 
to  take  us  to  the  right  place." 

"  That  might  be  so,  Dias,  if  it  were  a  hidden  treasure  that 
we  were  looking  for;  but  as,  according  to  your  account,  it 
is  simply  an  extraordinarily  rich  deposit  in  the  river,  I  hardly 
see  why  the  guidance  of  the  star  should  be  necessary  when 
once  the  valley  was  known." 

"That  I  cannot  tell  you,  senor;  but  I  am  sure  that  it 
must  be  difficult  to  find,  for  the  Spaniards  searched  every- 
where for  gold,  and  although  the  records  of  most  of  their 
discoveries  still  exist,  there  is  no  mention  of  such  a  find,  nor 
is  there  any  word  of  it  among  the  Indian  traditions." 

A  week  before  the  appointed  date  they  found  themselves 
in  the  neighbourhood  where  they  felt  sure  the  cleft  must  lie. 
Mount  Tinta  was  twenty  miles  in  front  of  them,  and  from 
that  point  a  range  of  mountains  trended  off  almost  at  right 
angles  to  that  which  they  were  following.  One  lofty  peak 
some  thirty  miles  to  the  south-east  rose  above  another. 

"  I  believe  that  that  is  the  peak,"  Dias  said. 

"I  don't  see  any  signs  of  a  cleft  in  it,  Dias." 

"  No,  senor ;  it  is  a  very  narrow  one." 

The  next  day  they  halted  at  the  mouth  of  another  valley, 
and  as  they  unloaded  the  mules,  Harry  exclaimed :  "  See, 
Dias,  there  is  a  cleft  in  that  peak!  From  here  it  looks  as 
if  it  were  a  mere  thread,  and  as  if  some  giant  had  struck  a 
mighty  sword-cut  into  it." 

"  That  is  right.  Sure  enough,  senor,  this  must  be  the  val- 
ley. Now,  let  us  look  about  for  the  serpent." 

The  search  did  not  take  them  long.  An  isolated  rock  rose 
a  quarter  of  a  mile  from  the  mouth,  and  on  this  was  a  rude 
representation  of  a  serpent.  The  next  morning  they  ex- 
plored the  valley  thoroughly  to  a  point  where,  five  miles 


150  THE  TBEASUBE  OP  THE  INCAS 

higher,  it  ceased  abruptly,  the  rocks  closing  in  on  either  side, 
and  the  stream  coming  down  in  a  perpendicular  fall  from 
a  point  some  eighty  feet  above  them.  Going  down  the  river, 
they  washed  the  gravel  again  and  again,  but  without  obtain- 
ing even  as  much  gold  as  they  had  found  several  times  before. 

"I  cannot  understand  it,"  Harry  said,  as  they  sat  down 
to  their  meal  at  dusk.  "  Your  tradition  says  nothing  about 
hidden  treasure,  and  yet  there  does  not  seem  to  be  gold  in 
the  stream." 

"It  may  be  higher  up,  senor.  We  must  ascend  the  hills 
on  each  side  of  the  valley,  and  come  down  upon  the  river 
higher  up." 

Harry  was  on  watch  that  night,  and  at  one  o'clock  he 
roused  the  others  up.  "  See !  "  he  exclaimed  later  on ;  "  there 
is  a  bright  star  apparently  about  a  foot  above  the  peak.  I 
should  think  that  must  be  the  star.  No  doubt  that  will  rise 
in  exact  line  behind  the  cleft  on  the  21st,  that  is  four  days 
from  now;  probably  it  can  only  be  seen  when  we  are  exactly 
in  the  line  with  the  cleft  and  the  position  of  the  gold.  This 
cleft  is  undoubtedly  very  narrow — no  doubt  the  result  of  an 
earthquake.  It  certainly  goes  straight  through,  and  very 
likely  it  is  some  hundred  yards  across,  so  that  unless  we  are 
exactly  in  the  line  we  sha'n't  see  it.  As  soon  as  it  is  dark 
on  the  21st  we  will  all  go  some  distance  up  the  valley,  where 
it  is  only  about  four  or  five  hundred  yards  across.  We  will 
station  ourselves  fifty  yards  apart  across  it,  then  one  of  us  is 
sure  to  see  the  star  through  the  cleft.  We  had  each  better 
take  two  sticks  with  us.  Whoever  sees  the  star  will  fix  one  in 
the  ground  and  then  go  backwards  for  a  hundred  yards,  keep- 
ing the  star  in  sight,  and  plant  the  other;  then  the  line  be-- 
tween  those  two  sticks  ought  to  lead  us  to  the  spot." 

Each  night  the  star  rose  nearer  to  the  cleft.  "  There  is 
no  doubt  we  shall  see  it  in  the  proper  position  to-morrow 
night,"  Harry  said  on  the  20th  of  the  month.  "  That  cer- 
tainly is  strong  proof  that  the  tradition  handed  down  to  you, 
Bias,  is  correct." 


THE  SIGNAL  STAB  151 

They  employed  the  next  day  in  again  searching  for  some 
indication  that  might  assist  them,  but  in  vain.  Dias  and 
Jose  both  asserted  that  the  tiny  rift  in  the  rocky  peak  looked 
wider  from  the  middle  of  the  valley  than  at  any  other  point, 
and  even  Harry  and  his  brother  admitted  that  it  could 
scarcely  be  seen  from  the  foot  of  the  hills  on  either  side, 
and  therefore  it  was  agreed  that  Dias,  Harry,  and  Jose 
should  take  their  places  only  some  forty  yards  apart  across 
the  centre;  Maria  and  Bertie  going  farther,  near  the  sides 
of  the  hills.  When  midnight  approached  they  took  their 
stations.  Suddenly  Harry,  who  was  standing  by  the  side  of 
the  rivulet,  exclaimed,  "  I  see  it !  "  It  was  more  than  a  min- 
ute later  before  Dias  saw  it,  while  it  was  three  or  four 
minutes  before  Jose  spoke,  by  which  time  Harry  had  crossed 
the  streamlet  and  fixed  his  second  rod  some  distance  on  the 
other  side.  Dias  and  Jose  did  the  same.  Bertie  did  not  catch 
sight  of  it  for  some  time  after  Jose,  and  Maria  did  not  see 
it  at  all.  Then  they  went  back  to  their  camping  place. 

"  It  is  curious  that  I  should  have  seen  it  before  either  of 
you,  when  you  were  standing  so  close  to  me,"  Harry  said. 
"  It  was  lower  than  I  expected,  and  it  is  evident  that  the 
cleft  must  continue  much  farther  down  than  we  thought, 
and  that  it  must  be  extremely  narrow  at  the  bottom.  It  is 
certainly  a  splendid  guide,  and  there  can  be  no  mistaking  it. 
Unless  I  had  been  standing  on  the  exact  line,  I  should  not 
have  noticed  the  star  till  later,  and  the  crack  is  so  much 
wider  towards  the  top  that  it  could  probably  be  seen  on  a 
line  half  a  mile  across.  It  will  be  strange  if  we  cannot  find 
the  place  in  the  morning.  Certainly  we  searched  in  the 
stream  just  where  I  was  standing,  and  found  nothing.  But, 
of  course,  it  is  possible  that  in  all  this  time  it  may  have 
changed  its  course  considerably." 

Dias  shook  his  head.  "It  can  hardly  be  that,  senor,  be- 
cause, in  that  case,  anyone  who  had  examined  the  valley 
could  have  found  it.  I  begin  to  think  that  it  must  have 
been  a  mistake  about  its  being  merely  a  rich  place  in  the 


152          THE  TREASURE  OP  THE  INCAS 

river,  and  that  it  must  be  some  vast  treasure,  perhaps  hidden 
by  the  people  before  the  Incas,  and  kept  by  them  as  a  certain 
resource  when  needed.  We  shall  have  to  search,  I  think,  for 
some  walled-up  cave  in  the  rocks.  We  have  already  looked 
for  it,  but  not  seriously ;  and  besides,  there  are  many  boulders 
that  have  fallen,  and  formed  a  bank  at  the  foot  of  the  cliff." 

"  Well,  we  shall  know  in  a  few  hours.  I  feel  absolutely 
certain  that  the  line  between  those  two  sticks  will  lead  ua 
to  it." 

None  attempted  to  sleep,  and  as  soon  as  it  became  light 
they  took  picks  and  shovels  and  started  up  the  valley.  Harry 
gave  an  exclamation  of  surprise  as,  standing  behind  the  first 
stick,  he  looked  towards  the  second.  "  The  line  goes  to  the 
middle  of  that  waterfall,"  he  said. 

This  was  so ;  for  the  stream  made  two  or  three  sharp  bends 
between  the  spot  where  he  had  crossed  it  and  the  foot  of 
the  falls. 

"  'Tis  strange !  "  Dias  said ;  "  we  have  examined  that  spot 
more  than  once.  There  are  great  stones  and  boulders  at 
the  foot  of  the  fall,  and  a  large  deep  pool.  Can  a  treasure 
be  buried  in  that?  If  so,  it  will  be  hard  indeed  to  get  it." 

Harry  did  not  reply;  his  face  was  white  with  excitement. 
He  walked  forward  slowly  till  he  reached  the  edge  of  the 
pool.  It  was  some  fifteen  yards  across,  and  the  colour  of 
the  water  showed  that  it  was  very  deep. 

"I  will  dive,  Harry,"  Bertie  said;  "I  have  gone  down 
more  than  once  in  five  fathoms  of  water  to  pick  up  an  egg 
that  has  been  thrown  overboard."  He  stripped  and  swam 
out  to  the  middle  of  the  pool  and  dived.  He  was  down  about 
a  minute,  and  on  coming  up  swam  to  the  shore.  "  I  could 
find  no  bottom,  Harry,"  he  panted.  "  I  am  sure  I  must  have 
gone  down  seven  fathoms." 

"  Thank  you,  Bertie,"  Harry  said  quietly ;  "  we  will  make 
up  our  minds  that  if  it  is  there,  we  sha'n't  get  it  at  present. 
The  foot  of  the  valley  is  so  flat  that  it  would  need  a  cut  at 
least  a  mile  long  to  let  the  water  off,  and  we  should  therefore 


THE  SIGNAL  STAB  153 

require  either  an  army  of  men  or  a  regular  diving  apparatus, 
which  there  would  be  no  getting  this  side  of  England.  How- 
ever, it  may  not  be  there.  Let  us  search  now  behind  the 
fall." 

There  were  some  four  or  five  feet  clear  between  the  sheet 
of  water  and  the  rock.  At  times,  as  Harry  pointed  out, 
there  would  be  an  even  wider  space,  for  the  weather  had  been 
dry  for  the  past  two  months,  and  the  quantity  of  water  com- 
ing down  was  but  small,  while  in  the  wet  season  a  mighty 
flood  would  shoot  far  out  from  the  rock.  The  width  of  the 
stream  in  the  wet  season  was  shown  by  the  broad  bed  of  what 
was  now  but  a  rivulet.  Looking  upwards  as  they  stood,  the 
wall  actually  overhung  them,  and  they  could  see  the  edge 
where  the  water  poured  over  unbroken. 

"  There  may  be  a  cave  here,"  Harry  went  on,  "  and  it  may 
be  covered  by  these  rocks  piled  up  for  the  purpose.  On  the 
other  hand,  they  may  have  fallen.  I  think  that  is  the  most 
likely  explanation,  for  as  the  top  projects  beyond  the  bottom 
it  is  possible  that  some  time  or  other  there  was  a  big  fall." 

They  searched  every  foot  of  the  rock  within  reach,  but 
there  were  no  signs  of  any  man's  handiwork.  The  rock  was 
solid,  thickly  covered  with  dripping  moss  and  ferns  which 
had  flourished  in  the  mist  and  spray  that  rose  from  the  foot 
of  the  fall.  This  they  had  ruthlessly  scraped  off  with  their 
picks.  Silently  they  went  out  again  at  the  end,  and  stood 
hopelessly  looking  at  the  fall.  It  was  some  time  before 
Harry  said,  "  We  must  move  some  of  those  stones  now.  Let 
us  go  at  once  and  cut  down  some  young  trees,  for  we  can 
do  nothing  with  our  hands  alone,  but  must  use  levers.  For 
that  purpose  we  shall  want  straight  wood,  and  strong.  We 
had  better  get  half  a  dozen,  in  case  some  of  them  break; 
make  them  about  ten  feet  long,  and  from  four  to  six  inches 
thick,  and  sharpened  slightly  at  the  lower  end." 

In  an  hour  the  levers  were  ready. 

"We  had  better  breakfast  before  we  begin,  Dias.  Your 
wife  went  off  to  prepare  it  when  we  came  out  from  the  water- 
fall. I  dare  say  it  is  ready  by  this  time." 


154  THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  INCAS 

In  half  an  hour  they  were  back  again.  They  chose  the 
central  spot  behind  the  fall,  and  then  set  to  work.  Some  of 
the  rocks  were  dislodged  without  much  difficulty,  but  to  move 
others,  it  was  necessary  to  first  get  out  the  smaller  ones,  on 
which  they  rested.  So  they  toiled  on,  stopping  for  half  an 
hour  in  the  middle  of  the  day  for  food,  and  then  renewing 
their  work.  By  evening  they  had  made  an  opening  four  or 
five  feet  wide  at  the  top,  and  six  feet  deep,  close  to  the  wall. 
It  was  now  getting  dark,  and  all  were  fagged  and  weary  with 
their  work,  the  light  was  fading,  and  they  were  glad  to  return 
to  camp.  Maria  came  out  to  meet  them.  She  asked  no 
questions,  but  said  cheerfully,  "I  have  a  good  olla  ready,  I 
am  sure  you  must  want  it." 

"  I  feel  almost  too  tired  to  eat,"  Bertie  said. 

"  You  will  feel  better  when  you  have  had  some  coffee.  I 
have  fed  the  mules,  Jose,  and  taken  them  down  to  water." 

"  I  think,"  Bertie  said,  when  they  had  finished  their  meal, 
"that  we  might  splice  the  main  brace." 

"  I  do  think  we  might,"  Harry  laughed.  "  We  have  not 
opened  a  bottle  since  we  started,  and  certainly  we  have 
worked  like  niggers  since  seven  o'clock  this  morning.  I  will 
open  the  case ;  it  is  screwed  down,  and  I  have  a  screw-driver 
in  the  handle  of  my  knife ; "  and  he  rose  to  hio  feet. 

"  What  does  Don  Bertie  want  ?  "  Dias  said.  "  I  will  get 
it,  senor.  I  do  not  understand  what  he  said." 

"  It  is  a  sea  expression,  Dias.  After  a  hard  day's  work  the 
captain  orders  that  the  main  brace  shall  be  spliced,  which 
means  that  the  crew  shall  have  a  glass  of  grog — that  is,  a 
glass  of  spirits  and  water — to  cheer  and  warm  them  after 
their  exertions.  Jose,  will  you  bring  a  blazing  brand  with 
you?  I  shall  want  it  to  see  the  screws." 

In  a  few  minutes  he  returned. 

"  This  is  brandy,  Dias.  I  don't  suppose  you  have  ever 
tasted  a  glass  of  good  brandy.  Is  your  kettle  boiling  still, 
senora  ?  We  shall  want  hot  water,  sugar,  and  five  of  the  tin 
mugs.  Have  you  any  of  those  limes  we  picked  the  other 
day?" 


THE  SIGNAL  STAB  155 

"  Yes,  senor." 

"  That  is  good.  Just  a  slice  each  will  be  an  improvement." 
Harry  mixed  four  mugs,  and  a  half  one  for  Maria.  "  There, 
Dias !  "  he  said.  "  You  will  allow  that  that  is  a  considerable 
improvement  on  pulque." 

He  and  his  brother  had  already  lighted  their  pipes.  The 
other  three  had  made  cigarettes.  Dias  and  Jose  were  loud 
in  their  commendations  of  the  new  beverage.  Donna  Maria 
had  at  first  protested  that  she  never  touched  pulque,  and  this 
must  be  the  same  sort  of  thing.  However,  after  sipping 
daintily,  she  finished  her  portion  with  evident  satisfaction. 
They  did  not  sit  up  long,  and  as  soon  as  they  had  finished 
their  first  smoke  all  retired  to  bed,  leaving  for  once  the 
llamas  and  mules  to  act  as  sentries.  As  soon  as  it  was  fairly 
daylight,  they  drank  a  cup  of  coffee  and  started  again  to 
work.  Harry  went  first  into  the  hole  they  had  made,  and, 
kneeling  down,  struck  a  match  to  enable  him  to  see  the  rock 
more  thoroughly.  He  gave  a  slight  exclamation,  then  said: 
"  Open  your  knife,  Bertie,  and  come  in  here  and  strike  an- 
other match.  I  want  both  my  hands." 

"  I  have  a  torch  here,  senor." 

"That  is  best;  then  light  it,  Bertie." 

There  was  just  room  at  the  bottom  for  Bertie  to  stand 
by  the  side  of  his  brother,  who  was  lying  down. 

"  Hold  the  torches  as  low  as  you  can,  Bertie." 

Harry  picked  away  with  the  point  of  his  knife  for  a  min- 
ute or  two  and  then  sat  up. 

"  That  is  the  top  of  a  cave,"  he  said.  "  Do  you  see,  this 
crack  along  here  is  a  straight  one.  That,  I  fancy,  was  the 
top  of  the  entrance  to  the  cave.  That  stone  under  it  has  a 
rough  face,  but  on  the  top  and  sides  it  is  straight.  It  is 
fitted  in  with  cement,  or  something  of  that  sort,  and  is  soft 
for  some  distance  in,  and  then  becomes  quite  hard.  I  can 
just  see  that  there  are  two  stones  underneath,  also  regularly 
cut." 

He  made  room  for  Bertie  to  lie  down,  and  held  the  torch 


156          THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  INCAS 

for  him.  "  I  think  you  are  right,  Harry.  Those  three  stones 
would  never  fit  together  so  closely  if  they  had  not  been  cut 
by  hand,  though,  looking  at  the  face,  no  one  could  tell  them 
from  the  rock  above." 

Dias  next  examined  the  stones. 

"  There  is  no  doubt  that  that  is  the  entrance  to  a  cave, 
senor,"  he  said  as  he  joined  them;  and  the  three  went  out 
beyond  the  fall,  for  the  noise  of  the  water  was  too  great  for 
them  to  converse  without  difficulty  behind  the  veil  of  water. 
Jose  stayed  behind  to  examine. 

"  Well,  Dias,  we  have  found  the  place  where  the  treasure 
is  hidden,  but  I  don't  think  that  we  are  much  nearer.  Cer- 
tainly we  have  not  strength  sufficient  to  clear  away  those 
fallen  stones,  and  probably  the  cave  is  blocked  by  a  wall  sev- 
eral feet  thick.  We  should  want  tools  and  blasting-powder 
to  get  through  it.  No  doubt  it  is  a  natural  cave,  and  it 
seems  to  me  probable  that  they  altered  the  course  of  the 
stream  above,  so  that  it  should  fall  directly  over  the  entrance. 
I  think  before  we  talk  further  about  it  we  will  go  up  there 
and  take  a  look  at  it.  If  we  find  that  the  course  has  been 
changed  that  will  settle  the  matter." 

It  took  them  an  hour  to  climb  the  hill  and  make  their 
way  down  to  the  gorge  through  which  the  river  ran.  They 
examined  it  carefully. 

"It  must  always  have  come  along  here,"  Dias  said. 
"There  is  no  other  possible  channel;  but  there  are  marks 
of  tools  on  the  rocks  on  each  side  of  the  fall,  and  the  water 
goes  over  so  regularly  that  I  think  the  rock  must  have  been 
cut  away  at  the  bottom." 

"It  certainly  looks  like  it,  Dias.  The  rocks  widen  out 
too,  so  that  however  strong  the  rush  of  water  may  be  it  will 
always  go  over  in  a  regular  sheet.  Let  us  follow  it  along 
a  little  way." 

Fifty  yards  farther  on,  the  gorge  widened  out  suddenly, 
and  they  paused  with  an  exclamation  of  astonishment.  Be- 
fore them  was  a  wide  valley,  filled  to  the  spot  where  they 


THE  SIGNAL  STAR  157 

were  standing  with  a  placid  sheet  of  water  four  or  five  hun- 
dred yards  wide,  and  extending  to  another  gorge  fully  a 
mile  away.  Bertie  was  the  first  to  find  his  voice. 

"Here's  a  go!  Who  would  have  thought  of  finding  a 
lake  up  in  the  hills  here  ? " 

"I  did  not  know  there  was  one,"  Dias  said.  "I  have 
never  heard  of  it.  But  that  is  not  strange,  for  no  one  who 
came  up  the  valley  would  dream  that  there  was  anything 
beyond  that  fall." 

Harry  had  sat  down  and  thought  for  some  minutes,  look- 
ing over  the  lake  without  speaking. 

"  I  am  afraid,  Dias,"  he  said  at  last,  "  that  your  tradition 
was  a  true  one  after  all,  and  that  the  gold  lay  in  the  bed  of 
a  stream  in  the  valley  we  now  see  filled  up." 

"But  it  must  always  have  been  a  lake,  senor,"  Dias  said 
after  thinking  for  a  minute,  "  and  could  not  have  been  shal- 
lower, for  there  is  no  other  escape  than  the  waterfall;  and 
however  heavy  the  rains  it  could  not  have  risen  higher,  ex- 
cept a  few  feet,  as  one  can  see  by  the  face  of  the  rock." 

"  It  may  have  had  some  other  way  out,"  Harry  said. 

Dias  looked  carefully  round  the  side  of  the  valley.  "  There 
is  no  break  in  the  hills  that  I  can  see,  senor." 

"  No ;  but  my  firm  conviction  is  that  the  top  of  that  cave 
that  we  found  behind  the  fall  is  really  the  top  of  a  natural 
tunnel  through  which  the  stream  originally  flowed.  There 
are  two  or  three  reasons  for  this.  In  the  first  place,  it  is 
certainly  remarkable  that  there  should  be  a  cave  immediately 
behind  that  fall.  I  thought  at  first  that  the  stream  above 
might  have  been  diverted  to  hide  it,  but  the  ravine  is  so  nar- 
row that  that  could  not  be  possible.  In  the  next  place,  your 
tradition  has  proved  absolutely  true  in  the  matter  of  the  star, 
and  in  the  hour  of  its  appearance  in  the  exact  line  to  the 
mouth  of  that  cave.  How  correctly  the  details  have  been 
handed  down  from  generation  to  generation!  If  they  are 
right  on  that  point  it  is  hardly  likely  that  they  can  be  inac- 
curate on  other  points,  and  that  the  tale  of  an  extraordinarily 


158          THE  TBEASUBE  OF  THE  INCAS 

rich  treasure  could  have  heen  converted  into  one  of  an  excep- 
tional deposit  of  gold  in  the  bed  of  a  river. 

"  I  think  that  the  passage  was  probably  closed  by  the  old 
people  when  they  were  first  threatened  by  the  invasion  of 
the  Incas.  No  doubt  they  would  choose  a  season  when  the 
stream  was  almost  dry.  They  had,  as  the  remains  of  their 
vast  buildings  will  show,  an  unlimited  supply  of  labour. 
They  would  first  partially  block  up  the  tunnel,  perhaps  for 
the  first  fifty  yards  in,  leaving  only  a  small  passage  for  the 
water  to  run  through.  They  might  then  close  the  farther 
end  with  sacks  of  sand,  and  having  the  other  stones  all  cut, 
and  any  number  of  hands,  build  it  up  behind  the  sacks,  and 
then  go  on  with  the  work  till  it  was  solid;  then  no  doubt 
they  would  heap  stones  and  boulders  against  the  face  of  the 
wall.  By  the  time  the  Incas  had  conquered  the  country  the 
valley  would  be  a  lake  many  feet  deep.  The  Incas,  having 
gained  an  abundant  supply  of  treasure  elsewhere,  would  take 
no  steps  towards  opening  the  tunnel,  which  in  any  case 
would  have  been  a  terrible  business,  for  the  pressure  of  water 
would  drive  everything  before  it.  Having  plenty  of  slave 
labour  at  their  disposal,  they  knew  that  it  could  be  done  at 
any  time  in  case  of  great  necessity,  when  the  loss  of  the  lives 
of  those  concerned  in  it  would  be  nothing  to  them.  When 
the  valley  became  full  the  water  began  to  pour  out  through 
this  gap,  which  perhaps  happened  to  be  immediately  over  the 
mouth  of  the  tunnel,  or  it  may  have  been  altered  by  a  few 
yards  to  suit,  for  they  were,  as  we  know  from  some  of  their 
buildings,  such  good  workmen  that  they  could  fit  slabs  of 
the  hardest  stone  so  perfectly  together  that  it  is  hardly  pos- 
sible to  see  the  joints.  Therefore  they  would  only  have  ta 
widen  the  mouth  of  the  gorge  a  little,  and  fit  rocks  in  on 
either  side  so  that  they  would  seem  to  have  been  there  for 
all  time;  and  indeed  the  natural  growth  of  ferns  and  mosses 
would  soon  hide  the  joints,  even  if  they  had  been  roughly 
done." 

"  And  that  all  means,  Harry —  ? "  Bertie  asked. 


THE  SIGNAL  STAB  159 

"  That  all  means  that  we  have  no  more  chance  of  getting 
at  the  gold  than  if  it  were  lying  in  the  deepest  soundings 
in  the  Pacific." 

Bertie  sat  down  with  a  gasp. 

"  There  is  no  way  of  getting  that  water  out,"  Harry  went 
on  quietly,  "  except  by  either  cutting  a  channel  here  as  deep 
as  the  bottom  of  the  lake,  or  by  blasting  the  stone  in  the 
tunnel.  The  one  would  require  years  of  work,  with  two  or 
three  hundred  experienced  miners,  and  ten  times  as  many 
labourers.  The  other  would  need  twenty  or  thirty  miners, 
and  a  hundred  or  two  labourers.  There  is  possibly  another 
way ;  but  as  that  would  require  an  immense  iron  siphon  going 
down  to  the  bottom  of  the  lake,  along  one  side  of  this  ravine, 
and  down  into  the  bottom  of  the  pool,  with  a  powerful  engine 
to  exhaust  the  air  in  the  first  place  and  set  it  going,  it  is  as 
impracticable,  as  far  as  we  are  concerned,  as  the  other  two. 

"  In  the  same  way  I  have  no  doubt  that,  with  a  thousand- 
horse-power  engine,  the  lake  could  be  pumped  dry  in  time; 
but  to  transport  the  plant  for  such  an  engine  and  its  boiler 
across  the  mountains  would  be  an  enormous  undertaking; 
and  even  were  it  here,  and  put  up  and  going,  the  difficulty 
of  supplying  it  with  fuel  would  be  enormous.  Certainly  one 
could  not  get  up  a  company  with  capital  enough  to  carry  out 
any  one  of  the  schemes  merely  on  the  strength  of  an  Indian 
tradition;  and  with  the  uncertainty,  even  if  they  believed 
the  tradition,  whether  the  amount  of  gold  recovered  would 
be  sufficient  to  repay  the  cost  incurred." 

"  Well,  we  may  as  well  go  down  to  dinner." 

He  shouldered  his  pick  and  led  the  way  back.  Scarce  a 
word  was  spoken  on  the  way.  Bertie  tried  to  follow  the 
example  of  his  brother,  and  take  the  matter  coolly.  Dias 
walked  with  his  head  down  and  the  air  of  a  criminal  going 
to  execution.  The  disappointment  to  him  was  terrible.  He 
had  all  along  felt  so  confident  that  they  should  be  successful, 
and  that  he  should  be  enabled  to  enrich  those  he  considered 
as  the  preservers  of  his  life,  that  he  was  utterly  broken  down 
with  the  total  failure  of  his  hopes. 


160  THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  INCAS 

CHAPTER  X 

A    FRESH    START 

NOT  until  he  got  to  the  camp  did  Harry  look  round. 
When  he  caught  a  glimpse  of  the  guide's  face  he  went 
up  to  him  and  held  out  his  hand. 

"  You  must  not  take  it  to  heart,  Dias ;  it  has  been  un- 
fortunate, but  that  cannot  be  helped.  You  have  done  every- 
thing you  could  in  the  matter,  and  brought  us  to  the  right 
spot,  and  no  one  could  tell  that  when  we  got  within  half 
a  mile  of  the  gold  river  we  should  find  the  valley  turned  into 
a  deep  lake.  We  can  only  say,  '  Better  luck  next  time.'  We 
would  say  in  England,  '  There  are  as  good  fish  in  the  sea  as 
ever  came  out  of  it.'  I  have  never  felt  very  sanguine  myself 
about  this;  it  has  all  along  seemed  too  good  to  be  true.  Of 
course  we  are  disappointed,  but  we  may  have  better  luck  next 
time." 

"  But  I  don't  know,  senor,  with  certainty  of  any  other 
place.  No  one  was  ever  entrusted  with  more  than  one  secret, 
so  that  if  the  Spanish  tortures  wrung  it  out  of  him  two 
treasures  would  not  be  lost." 

"  We  need  not  talk  any  more  about  this  place,  Dias.  I 
see  your  wife  has  got  some  of  the  fish  that  we  caught  yes- 
terday fizzling  on  the  fire.  Now  I  think  of  it,  I  am  very 
hungry,  for  it  is  six  hours  since  we  had  our  coffee  this  morn- 
ing. After  we  have  had  our  meal  we  can  discuss  what  our 
next  move  had  better  be." 

While  they  were  speaking,  Jose  had  been  rapidly  telling 
Maria  the  misfortune  which  had  befallen  them,  and  the  tears 
were  running  down  the  woman's  cheeks. 

"  You  must  not  feel  so  badly  about  it,  Maria,"  Harry  said 
cheerfully;  "you  see  my  brother  and  I  are  quite  cheerful. 
At  any  rate,  no  one  is  to  blame.  It  would  have  been  an  enor- 
mous piece  of  luck  if  we  had  succeeded,  but  we  never  looked 


A  FBESH  STAET  161 

on  it  as  a  certainty.  Anything  might  have  happened  between 
the  time  the  gold  was  shut  up  and  now,  though  we  certainly 
never  expected  to  find  what  we  did.  We  only  thought  it  pos- 
sible that  we  might  have  the  luck  to  find  the  treasure.  Now 
you  had  better  look  to  those  fish,  or  we  shall  lose  our  break- 
fast as  we  have  lost  our  gold,  and  this  time  by  our  own  fault. 
We  are  as  hungry  as  hunters  all  of  us;  and  in  fact  we  are 
hunters,  although  we  have  not  brought  any  game  with  us 
this  time." 

The  woman  wiped  away  her  tears  hastily,  and,  taking  off 
the  fish  which  she  had  put  on  when  they  were  coming  down 
the  hill,  she  laid  them  on  plates  with  some  freshly  baked 
cakes.  The  fish  were  excellent,  and  Bertie,  as  they  ate,  made 
several  jokes  which  set  them  all  laughing,  so  that  the  meal 
passed  off  cheerfully. 

"  Now  for  the  great  consoler,"  Harry  said,  as  he  took  out 
his  pipe.  "When  we  have  all  lighted  up,  the  council  shall 
begin.  Never  mind  clearing  away  the  plates  now,  Maria; 
just  sit  down  with  us,  there  is  wisdom  in  many  counsellors. 
Now,  Dias,  what  do  you  think  is  the  best  course  for  us  to 
adopt  at  present  ?  " 

"  Unless  you  wish  to  stay  here  and  make  further  search  ?  " 

"  By  no  means,  Dias,"  Harry  said ;  "  for  the  present,  I 
have  seen  enough  of  this  side  of  the  mountains.  We  will 
get  back  to  Cuzco  and  make  a  fresh  start  from  there." 

"  In  that  case,  senor,  there  is  no  doubt  as  to  the  best  route. 
There  is  a  pass  over  the  mountains  just  on  the  other  side  of 
Mount  Tinta;  it  leads  to  the  town  of  Ayapata,  which  lies 
somewhere  at  the  foot  of  that  peak.  I  have  never  been  there, 
but  I  know  its  situation.  It  is  a  very  steep  pass,  but  as  it  is 
used  for  mule  traffic  it  cannot  be  very  bad.  Once  we  have 
passed  over  it  on  to  the  plateau  we  shall  not  be  more  than 
seventy  or  eighty  miles  from  Cuzco." 

"  That  is  quite  satisfactory.    We  will  set  off  to-morrow." 

"We  had  better  catch  some  more  fish,  for  we  have  had 
no  time  for  hunting  lately,"  Maria  said.  "  The  meat  we  ate 


162  THE  TBEASUEE  OF  THE  INCAS 

yesterday  was  the  last  we  had  with  us.  If  we  cut  the  fish 
open  and  lay  them  flat  on  the  rocks,  which  are  so  hot  one 
can  scarcely  hold  one's  hand  on  them,  they  will  be  sufficiently 
dry  by  sunset  to  keep  for  two  or  three  days,  and  before  that 
you  are  sure  to  shoot  something." 

The  river  was  full  of  fish,  and  in  half  an  hour  they  had 
caught  an  abundance,  having  fifteen  averaging  eight  pounds 
apiece.  These  were  at  once  cut  open,  cleaned,  and  laid  down 
to  dry. 

"  The  fishing  on  this  river  would  let  for  a  handsome  sum 
in  England,"  Harry  laughed ;  "  and  I  think  the  fish  are  quite 
as  good  as  trout  of  the  same  size.  The  only  objection  is 
that  they  are  so  tame,  and  take  the  bait  so  greedily,  that, 
good  as  the  stream  is,  they  would  soon  be  exterminated." 

That  evening  there  was  a  slight  stir  among  the  animals 
which  had  just  lain  down.  Jose  leapt  up  and  walked  towards 
them. 

"  There  is  something  the  matter,  Bias,"  he  cried ;  "  the 
llamas  are  standing  up  with  their  ears  forward.  They  see 
or  hear  something." 

"  It  may  be  pumas  or  jaguars,"  Dias  said.  "  Take  your 
gun,  senor." 

He  picked  up  his  rifle,  and  Harry  and  Bertie  followed  suit, 
and  further  armed  themselves  with  their  shot-guns. 

"You  had  best  come  with  us,  Maria,"  her  husband  said. 
"  There  is  no  saying  where  the  beasts  may  be.  See !  the 
mules  are  standing  up  now  and  pulling  at  their  head-ropes. 
Let  us  go  among  them,  senors,  our  presence  will  pacify  them." 

They  all  moved  towards  the  mules,  which  were  standing 
huddled  together.  Dias  and  Jose  spoke  to  them  and  patted 
them. 

"  You  stand  at  their  heads,  Maria,"  the  former  said,  "  and 
keep  on  talking  to  them.  We  must  see  if  we  can  discover 
the  beasts.  There  is  one  of  them ! "  he  exclaimed,  but  in  a 
low  tone.  "Do  you  see  the  two  bright  points  of  light? 
That  is  the  reflection  of  the  fire  in  his  eyes." 


A  FRESH  STAET  163 

"Shall  I  fire?" 

"No,  senor,  not  yet.  If  we  were  only  to  wound  him  he 
would  charge  us;  let  us  wait  till  he  gets  closer.  Probably 
there  are  two  of  them,  male  and  female,  they  generally  go 
about  in  pairs." 

Even  as  he  spoke  the  seeming  sparks  disappeared. 

"  He  has  moved,"  Dias  said ;  "  he  will  probably  walk  round 
us  two  or  three  times  before  he  makes  up  his  mind  to  attack." 

"  If  he  would  go  near  the  fire  we  could  get  a  fair  shot  at 
him,  Dias." 

"He  won't  do  that,  senor;  he  will  most  likely  go  back- 
wards and  forwards  in  a  semicircle,  getting  perhaps  a  little 
closer  each  time." 

Ten  minutes  passed  and  then  Maria  said: 

"  There  are  two  of  them.  I  can  see  their  outlines  dis- 
tinctly." 

"  Do  you  think,  if  we  were  to  fire  a  gun,  they  would  move 
off,  Dias?" 

"  They  might  for  a  time,  senor,  but  the  probability  is  that 
they  would  come  back  again.  They  have  smelt  the  mules, 
and  are  probably  hungry.  It  is  better  to  let  them  attack  us 
at  once  and  have  done  with  it." 

A  minute  or  two  later  there  was  a  snarling  growl. 

"  They  are  jaguars,"  Dias  said. 

Again  and  again  the  threatening  sound  was  heard,  and  in 
spite  of  Maria's  efforts  the  mules  were  almost  mad  with 
fright. 

"  We  had  better  lie  down  beyond  them,"  Dias  said. 
"  There  is  no  doubt  the  beasts  will  come  from  that  side.  If 
we  posted  ourselves  behind  them  the  mules  might  break  loose 
and  knock  us  over  just  as  we  were  taking  aim." 

They  lay  down  side  by  side  on  the  grass  with  their  rifles 
at  their  shoulders. 

"  I  can  see  them  now,  Dias,"  Harry  whispered,  "  not  more 
than  fifty  yards  away.  I  think  we  could  hardly  miss  them 
now." 


164:  THE  TBEASTJRE  OF  THE  INCAS 

"You  could  not  if  it  were  daylight,  sefior;  but  in  the 
dark,  when  you  can't  see  the  end  of  your  rifle,  you  can  never 
be  certain  about  shooting." 

The  beasts  had  now  apparently  made  up  their  minds  to 
attack.  They  crouched  low,  almost  dragging  their  bellies 
on  the  ground,  and  one  was  somewhat  in  advance  of  the 
other. 

"  That  is  the  male  ahead,"  Dias  whispered.  "  Do  you  and 
your  brother  take  aim.  I  will  take  the  female,  and  Jose  will 
hold  his  fire  of  buck-shot  till  she  is  within  a  length  of  us." 

"  How  shall  I  know  when  it  is  going  to  spring  ?  " 

"When  it  stops,  senor.  It  is  sure  to  stop  before  it 
springs." 

"  Aim  between  the  eyes,  Bertie,  and  fire  when  I  do,"  Harry 
whispered  to  his  brother,  who  was  lying  next  to  him. 

When  within  twelve  yards  the  jaguar  halted. 

•,V  Now ! "  Harry  said,  and  they  discharged  their  rifles  at 
the^jsame  moment,  and,  dropping  them,  grasped  the  shot- 
guns'-v 

The^l^uar  fell  over  on  one  side,  clawing  the  air,  and  then 
recovered  himself.  As  he  did  so  two  charges  of  buck-shot 
struck  him  on  the  head,  and  he  rolled  over  and  remained 
motionless. 

Dias  had  fired  at  the  same  moment,  but  he  had  not  stopped 
the  second  jaguar.  Jose,  instead  of  waiting,  hastily  dis- 
charged his  gun,  and  in  another  instant  a  dark  body  bounded 
over  their  heads  on  to  the  back  of  one  of  the  mules,  which 
it  struck  to  the  ground. 

Harry  and  Bertie  leapt  to  their  feet,  and  discharged  their 
second  barrels  into  the  jaguar's  body.  It  turned  suddenly 
round  and  attempted  to  spring,  but  its  hind-quarters  were 
paralysed;  and  Bertie,  pulling  out  his  pistol,  fired  both  bar- 
rels into  its  head.  The  brute  at  once  fell  over  dead,  and 
the  lad  gave  a  shout  of  triumph. 

"  Thank  goodness  that  is  over  without  accident ! "  Harr| 
said.  "  They  are  formidable  beasts,  Dias." 


A   MIDNIGHT   SUKPRISB 


A  FEESH  START  165 

"In  the  daytime,  when  one  can  see  to  aim,  they  can  be 
killed  easily  enough,  senor;  at  night  their  presence  is  to  be 
dreaded." 

"I  am  afraid  we  have  lost  a  mule." 

"  I  think  not,  senor.  He  was  knocked  down  by  the  shock, 
but  he  had  his  saddle  on,  and  the  brute  had  no  time  to  carry 
him  off." 

The  mule  rose  to  its  feet  as  they  spoke;  Jose  ran  and 
brought  a  flaming  brand  from  the  fire.  Blood  was  stream- 
ing from  both  the  animal's  shoulders. 

"  It  stuck  its  claws  in,  senor,  but  has  not  made  long 
gashes.  I  should  say  that  these  wounds  were  caused  by  the 
contraction  of  the  claws  when  you  finished  her  with  your 
pistol.  The  animal  will  be  all  right  in  a  day  or  two;  and 
as  our  stores  have  diminished,  we  need  not  put  any  load  on 
it  for  a  time." 

"  I  hope  you  were  not  frightened,  Maria  ? "  Bertie  said. 

"  I  was  a  little  frightened,"  she  said,  "  when  the  mule  came 
tumbling  down  close  to  me,  and  I  could  see  the  jaguar's  eyes 
within  a  few  yards  of  me,  but  I  had  my  dagger  ready." 

"It  would  not  have  been  much  good,"  Dias  said,  "if  the 
beast  had  attacked  you." 

"  I  think  you  showed  no  end  of  pluck,"  Bertie  said.  "  If 
he  had  come  close  to  me,  and  I  had  got  nothing  but  that 
little  dagger  in  my  hand,  I  should  have  bolted  like  a  shot." 

"  I  am  sure  that  you  would  not,  senor,"  she  said.  "  You 
are  a  great  deal  too  brave  for  that." 

Bertie  laughed. 

"  It  is  all  very  well  to  be  brave  with  a  rifle  in  your  hand 
and  another  gun  ready,  to  say  nothing  of  the  pistols.  By 
the  way,  I  thought  Harry  had  given  you  one  of  his  ? " 

"  So  he  did,  but  I  had  forgotten  all  about  it.  If  I  had 
thought  of  it  I  should  have  used  it." 

"It  is  just  as  well  that  you  did  not,"  Harry  said.  "If 
you  had  done  so,  the  brute  would  have  made  for  you  instead 
of  turning  round  to  attack  us." 


166          THE  TEEASURE  OF  THE  INCAS 

"Now,  senor,"  Bias  put  in,  "we  had  better  drag  the 
jaguars  away;  the  mules  will  never  get  quiet  with  the  bodies 
so  close  to  them." 

It  needed  all  his  strength  and  that  of  his  companions  to 
drag  each  of  the  bodies  fifty  yards  away. 

"Now,  Jose,"  Dias  said  when  they  returned,  "you  had 
better  give  the  animals  a  feed  of  maize  all  round.  They 
will  settle  down  after  that.  I  shall  keep  watch  to-night, 
senor.  It  is  not  likely  that  any  more  of  these  beasts  are  in 
the  neighbourhood;  but  it  is  as  well  to  be  careful,  and  I  don't 
think  any  of  us  would  sleep  if  someone  were  not  on  the 
look-out." 

"  I  will  relieve  you  at  two  o'clock,"  Harry  said. 

"No,  senor,  I  have  not  been  on  the  watch  for  the  past 
two  nights.  I  would  rather  sit  up  by  the  fire  to-night." 

Two  days  later  they  arrived  at  the  foot  of  the  pass.  Just 
as  they  gained  it  they  met  two  muleteers  coming  down  it. 
Dias  entered  into  conversation  with  them,  while  the  others 
erected  tents,  preparing  to  camp. 

"  What  is  the  news,  Dias  ? "  Harry  asked  as  he  returned. 

"  The  men  say,  senor,  that  the  pass  is  very  unsafe.  Many 
robberies  have  taken  place  in  it,  and  several  men,  who 
endeavoured  to  defend  themselves  against  the  brigands,  have 
been  killed.  They  were  questioned  by  four  armed  men  as 
they  came  down,  and  the  goods  they  were  carrying  down  to 
Ayapata  were  taken  from  them.  They  say  that  traffic  has 
almost  ceased  on  the  road." 

"  That  is  bad,  Dias." 

"  Very  bad,  senor.  We  need  not  be  afraid  of  brigands  if 
they  meet  us  as  we  travel  along  the  foot  of  the  hills,  but  it 
would  be  another  thing  in  the  passes.  There  are  many  places 
where  the  mules  would  have  to  go  in  single  file,  and  if  we 
were  caught  in  such  a  spot  by  men  on  the  heights,  we  might 
be  shot  down  without  any  chance  of  defending  ourselves 
successfully." 

"  That  is  awkward,  Dias.  It  is  a  scandal  that  these 
brigands  are  not  rooted  out." 

4 


A  FRESH  START  167 

"People  are  thinking  too  much  of  fighting  each  other  or 
their  neighbours  to  care  anything  about  the  complaints  of 
a  few  muleteers,  senor." 

"  Is  there  no  other  way  of  crossing  the  mountains  than 
by  this  pass  ?  " 

"  There  is  a  pass,  senor,  between  Ayapata  and  Crucero, 
but  it  is  a  very  bad  one." 

"  And  where  should  we  be  then,  Bias  ? " 

"  Well,  senor,  it  would  take  us  along  the  other  side  of  the 
mountains  to  Macari.  From  that  place  there  is  an  easy  path 
to  La  Raya;  there  we  are  on  the  plateau  again,  and  have 
only  to  travel  by  the  road  through  Sicuani  to  Cuzco." 

"In  fact,  it  would  double  the  length  of  our  journey  to 
Cuzco?" 

"Yes,  senor;  but  if  you  liked,  from  Crucero  you  might 
go  down  to  Lake  Titicaca.  There  are  certainly  good  mines 
in  the  mountains  there." 

"  Yes,  but  is  there  any  chance  of  our  finding  them  ? " 

"  I  can't  say  that,  senor,  but  I  fear  that  the  chance  would 
be  very  small." 

"  Then  it  is  of  no  use  trying,  Bias.  We  saw  at  the  last 
place  what  pains  the  old  people  took  to  hide  places  where 
gold  could  be  found,  and  if  there  had  been  rich  mines  among 
these  mountains  you  speak  of,  no  doubt  they  would  have 
hidden  them  just  as  carefully.  The  question  is,  shall  we 
go  up  this  pass  as  we  intended,  and  take  our  chance,  or  shall 
we  go  by  this  roundabout  way  ? " 

By  this  time  Jose  had  lit  a  fire,  and  they  had  seated  them- 
selves by  it. 

"  One  hates  turning  back,  but  we  are  not  pressed  for  time. 
As  far  as  I  can  see,  my  only  chance  is  the  feeble  one  of  find- 
ing treasure  in  the  place  you  spoke  of  up  the  coast  above 
Callao.  It  is  now  four  months  since  we  left  Lima.  Travel- 
ling straight  to  that  place  would  take  us  how  long  ? " 

"  Well,  senor,  if  we  go  round  by  Ayapata  to  Crucero,  and 
then  to  Macari,  it  would  be  nearly  a  thousand  miles." 


168          THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  INCAS 

"  Quite  a  thousand,  I  should  think.  That  is  three  months' 
steady  work.  By  the  time  we  get  there  it  will  be  about  a 
year  from  the  time  we  left  England.  I  have  seen  quite 
enough  of  the  mountains  to  know  that  our  chance  of  finding 
anything  among  them  is  so  small  that  it  is  not  worth  think- 
ing of.  It  seems  to  me,  therefore,  Bias,  that  we  might  just 
as  well,  instead  of  going  south  over  these  difficult  passes, 
return  by  the  foot  of  the  mountains  as  we  have  come,  going 
through  Paucartambo,  crossing  the  rivers  that  flow  north 
and  fall  somewhere  or  other  into  the  Amazon,  and  keeping 
along  it  till  we  come  to  Cerro  de  Pasco.  There  we  should 
be  nearly  in  a  line  with  this  place  you  know  of,  and  can  keep 
due  west — that  is  to  say,  as  nearly  due  west  as  the  mountains 
will  allow.  It  would  be  three  or  four  hundred  miles  shorter 
than  by  taking  the  pass  at  Ayapata.  We  should  have  a  good 
deal  of  sport  by  the  way,  and  should  certainly  have  no  trouble 
with  the  brigands  till  we  got  to  Cerro.  Of  course  it  is  possi- 
ble that  we  might  fall  in  with  savages  again,  but  at  any  rate 
they  are  not  so  formidable  as  brigands  in  the  passes.  What 
do  you  say  to  that  ?  " 

"It  is  certainly  shorter,  senor;  and,  as  you  say,  we  should 
have  no  trouble  with  the  brigands,  and  we  should  also  escape 
the  troubles  that  have  been  going  on  for  some  years,  and 
are  likely,  as  far  as  anyone  can  see,  to  go  on  for  ever.  We 
were  very  fortunate  in  not  meeting  any  of  the  armies  that 
are  always  marching  about." 


THREE  months  were  spent  in  the  journey  to  the  foot  of 
the  pass  leading  up  to  Cerro.     They  had  good  shooting, 
and  found  no  difficulty  in  providing  themselves  with  food. 
Fish  were  plentiful  in  the  streams,  and  in  some  of  the  long- 
deserted  plantations  they  found  bananas,  grapes,  and  other 


BRIGANDS  169 

fruits  in  abundance,  together  with  sugar-canes,  tomatoes, 
maize  growing  wild,  and  potatoes  which  were  reverting  to 
the  wild  type.  They  met  neither  with  alligators  nor  large 
serpents,  for  they  kept  on  the  lower  slopes  of  the  foot- 
hills, as  much  as  possible  avoiding  the  low  forest  lands, 
where  they  might  come  in  contact  with  the  savages.  For 
the  same  reason,  they  had  no  opportunity  of  taking  any 
of  the  great  fish  found  in  the  sluggish  rivers,  but  had 
an  abundance  of  smaller  fish  in  the  bright  mountain 
streams.  They  killed  two  tapirs  and  several  pumas  and 
jaguars.  Their  two  llamas,  having  one  night  wandered  away 
from  the  mules,  were  killed  by  these  beasts.  But  as  the  stores 
were  a  good  deal  lighter  than  when  they  started,  this  was 
no  great  misfortune.  Occasionally  they  followed  streams  up 
into  the  hills,  and  did  a  little  washing  for  gold  when  they 
halted  for  a  day  or  two  there. 

"  We  have  had  a  good  time  of  it,"  Harry  said  as  they  sat 
round  the  fire,  "  and  I  am  almost  sorry  that  it  is  over,  and 
that  this  is  our  last  day  of  wandering  where  we  like,  shooting 
and  fishing,  and  above  all,  camping  in  pleasant  places.  We 
have  been  very  fortunate  in  not  meeting  any  of  the  savages 
since  the  fight  we  had  with  them  four  or  five  months  ago. 
It  is  a  splendid  country  for  sport,  and  except  that  we  should 
like  it  a  bit  cooler,  and  could  have  done  without  some  of  the 
thunder-storms,  it  is  a  grand  life.  For  a  time  now  we  are 
going  back  to  a  sort  of  civilization,  filthy  inns,  swarms  of 
fleas,  and  fifteenth-rate  cooking." 

"  It  is  not  so  much  the  fault  of  the  cooking,"  Maria  said, 
"  as  of  the  meat.  Here  we  get  fish  fresh  out  of  the  stream, 
and  birds  shot  an  hour  or  two  before  they  are  eaten.  We 
pick  our  fruit  from  the  trees,  instead  of  buying  it  after  it 
has  been  carried  miles  and  miles  to  the  market.  We  have 
a  capital  stock  of  coffee,  tea,  and  sugar.  Among  the  old 
plantations  we  pick  cocoa  and  pound  it  fresh,  and  boil  it. 
As  we  brought  plenty  of  pepper  and  spices,  it  would  be  hard 
indeed  if  one  could  not  turn  out  a  good  meal.  And  then, 


170          THE  TEEASUKE  OF  THE  INCAS 

senors,  you  always  come  to  eat  it  with  a  good  appetite,  which 
is  all  in  favour  of  the  cook." 

"Yes,  I  grant  that  you  have  had  all  those  advantages, 
Maria,  but  it  is  not  everybody  who  makes  the  best  of  them. 
I  can  safely  say  that  since  we  started  we  have  never  sat  down 
to  a  bad  breakfast  or  dinner.  Now,  for  a  bit,  we  are  going 
to  lead  a  different  sort  of  life.  We  shall  be  on  beaten  tracks. 
We  shall  meet  lots  of  people.  It  is  strange  to  think  that, 
except  for  those  peasant  muleteers  we  met  at  the  foot  of  the 
pass  by  the  Tinta  volcano,  we  have  not  seen  a  soul  except 
the  savages — who  have  souls,  I  suppose — since  we  left  Pau- 
cartambo  more  than  six  months  ago;  and  yet  somehow  we 
do  not  seem  to  have  missed  them.  I  wonder  what  we  shall 
find  when  we  get  up  to  Cerro,  and  who  will  be  president 
then." 

"  I  wonder  what  they  are  doing  in  Europe ! "  Bertie  said. 
"  We  have  heard  no  later  news  than  what  we  had  when  we 
went  on  board  a  ship  sixteen  months  ago.  There  may  have 
been  great  wars  all  over  Europe." 

"  I  don't  think  there  is  much  chance  of  that,  Bertie. 
India  was  the  only  place  where  there  was  any  fighting  going 
on,  and  it  seemed  as  if,  since  Napoleon  was  crushed,  Europe 
would  become  permanently  pacific.  Still,  I  do  hope  that 
when  we  are  at  Lima  we  shall  get  hold  of  a  pile  of  English 
newspapers.  The  consul  is  sure  to  have  them." 

"I  don't  suppose  we  shall  want  to  stay  there  many  days, 
Harry,  for  we  shall  be  eager  to  start  the  search  for  the  en- 
chanted castle  Dias  has  told  us  of.  We  saw  quite  enough  of 
Lima  during  the  ten  days  that  we  were  there." 

"  Is  the  pass  a  bad  one  up  to  Cerro,  Dias  ? " 

"  There  are  some  very  bad  points,  senor.  It  never  was 
a  good  one,  but  as  nothing  has  been  done  to  the  roads  for 
at  least  a  hundred  years,  it  must  have  got  into  a  very  bad 
state.  I  have  been  down  it  twice  with  travellers,  the  second 
time  ten  years  ago,  and  it  was  bad  enough  then.  It  is  likely 
to  be  worse  now." 


BRIGANDS  171 

"Well,  as  the  road  is  used  so  little,  Bias,"  Harry  said, 
u  there  is  no  fear  of  brigands." 

"  I  hope  not,  senor ;  but  there  may  be  some,  though  they 
would  not  be  there  in  the  hope  of  plundering  travellers.  But 
desperate  men  are  always  to  be  found  in  the  mountains — 
men  who  have  committed  murders  and  fled  from  justice. 
They  are  able  to  live  on  what  they  can  shoot,  and  of  course 
they  can  get  fish  in  the  streams,  and  when  they  are  tired 
of  that  can  come  down  here,  where  they  will  find  plenty  of 
turkeys,  and  pheasants,  and  other  game,  besides  the  maize, 
and  fruits,  and  other  things  in  the  old  plantations.  Some- 
times they  will  take  a  little  plunder  from  the  small  villages. 
Anyhow,  they  do  not  fare  altogether  badly.  Therefore  one 
can  never  feel  certain  that  one  is  safe  from  them,  even  when 
travelling  over  tracks  where  travellers  seldom  pass.  Still,  we 
may  very  well  hope  that  we  shall  not  have  the  bad  luck  to 
fall  in  with  them." 

"  I  hope  so,  Dias.  We  did  not  come  out  here  to  fight. 
So  far  we  have  been  very  fortunate,  and  have  not  had  to  fire 
a  shot,  except  at  those  wretched  savages." 

The  next  day's  journey  took  them  far  up  into  the  hills, 
and  they  camped  that  night  at  the  upper  end  of  a  deep  ravine. 
It  had  been  a  hard  day's  work,  for  at  several  points  the  mules 
had  to  be  unloaded  and  taken  up  singly,  and  the  loads  then 
carried  up.  Fortunately,  the  packs  were  now  very  light, 
and  were  carried  or  hauled  up  without  much  difficulty. 

In  the  morning  they  again  started.  They  were  just  issu- 
ing from  the  ravine  when  a  party  of  ten  armed  men  made 
their  appearance  from  amongst  some  rocks,  and  shouted  to 
them  to  halt.  Dias  rode  in  front. 

"You  speak  to  them,  Dias.  Keep  them  for  a  minute  in 
talk  if  you  can,  and  then  take  shelter  behind  that  boulder." 

Then  Harry  ran  back  to  Jose,  who  was  walking  with  a 
leading  mule  twenty  paces  behind. 

"  Turn  them  back  again,  Jose.  Halt  a  little  way  down, 
and  then  come  up;  there  are  some  brigands  ahead.  Bertie, 


172  THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  INCAS 

bring  up  your  rifle  and  the  two  shot-guns.  Tell  Maria  to 
remain  with  the  mules." 

Then  he  ran  back  again  just  as  a  shot  rang  out,  and,  dodg- 
ing among  the  fallen  rocks,  he  took  shelter  behind  one  abreast 
with  Dias.  "  Was  it  you  who  fired  ?  "  he  asked. 

"  No,  one  of  the  brigands.  The  ball  went  through  the  brim 
of  my  sombrero.  I  think  they  are  talking  to  each  other, 
they  know  there  is  no  hurry." 

"  Hail  them  again,  Dias,  but  don't  show  yourself  above 
the  rock." 

"  What  do  you  want  ?     Why  did  you  fire  at  me  ?  " 

"  We  want  everything  you  have  got,"  a  voice  came  back — 
<l  your  mules  and  their  burdens,  and  your  arms.  If  you  will 
give  them  up  without  resistance,  we  will  let  you  up  the  pass 
without  hindering  you." 

"  Tell  them  that  you  must  talk  it  over  with  the  others, 
Dias." 

"  Well,  we  will  give  you  five  minutes,"  the  man  called  back. 
"  If  you  do  not  accept  our  terms,  we  will  cut  your  throats." 

Dias  stood  up,  and  walked  quietly  down  the  rugged  pass. 
Ai  the  point  where  the  mules  stopped,  the  rock  rose  almost 
perpendicularly  on  each  side. 

"Maria,"  he  said,  "do  you  and  Jose  take  off  the  saddles 
and  bags  and  fill  up  the  spaces  between  these  rocks  on  each 
side.  Get  the  animals  in  behind  them.  You  stop  with  them, 
Maria.  I  have  got  five  minutes,  and  will  help  you." 

"You  had  better  go  up  at  once,  sefior,"  he  went  on  to 
Bertie,  "and  help  your  brother,  so  that  they  may  not  get 
eight  of  you.  However,  I  am  afraid  they  know  how  many 
we  are.  It  was  foolish  to  light  that  fire  yesterday  evening. 
I  expect  they  were  somewhere  near  and  caught  sight  of  us, 
and  no  doubt  one  of  them  crept  quietly  down  to  find  out 
what  our  force  was.  Seeing  there  were  but  four  of  us,  they 
thought  they  could  take  us  all  easily  here  in  the  morning 
without  firing  a  shot.  But  as  your  brother  and  I  happened 
to  be  going  on  first,  they  thought  they  would  parley.  They 


BRIGANDS  173 

I 

would  be  sure  that  if  they  attacked  us,  we  should  kill  two  or 
three  of  them  at  least  before  we  had  finished  with  them. 
And  as  they  reckoned  that  we  should  gladly  accept  their 
terms,  they  would  get  all  they  wanted  without  trouble,  and 
could  shoot  us  afterwards  if  they  felt  inclined." 

Bertie  had  by  this  time  got  the  guns  unstrapped,  and  had 
filled  his  pockets  with  cartridges.  He  now  went  forward, 
and  as  he  kept  among  the  rocks  he  was  able  to  get  within 
four  or  five  yards  of  his  brother  without  being  seen,  as  the 
mouth  of  the  pass  was  almost  blocked  with  great  boulders. 

"  I  cannot  get  any  nearer  without  running  the  risk  of  be- 
ing seen.  I  have  loaded  the  double-barrelled  guns." 

"  Stay  where  you  are  then,  Bertie.  I  don't  think  they  will 
make  a  rush,  and  if  they  do,  you  can  use  them  as  well  as 
your  rifle.  Of  course  I  have  my  pistols  and  you  have  yours. 
I  don't  believe  they  will  venture  to  attack  in  daylight,  our 
trouble  will  be  after  dark." 

"  Now,  then,  the  five  minutes  are  up ! "  the  brigand 
shouted. 

"  I  am  coming !  "  Bias  shouted  back. 

As  he  approached,  Harry  said :  "  Stand  by  the  side  of  a 
rock,  Dias,  so  as  to  be  able  to  shelter  as  soon  as  you  have 
given  them  the  answer;  they  are  likely  enough  to  fire  a 
volley." 

"We  will  give  you  nothing,"  Dias  shouted.  "Anything 
you  want  you  had  better  come  and  take." 

Three  men  raised  their  heads  above  the  rocks  and  fired. 
Almost  at  the  same  instant  Harry's  rifle  and  Bertie's  cracked 
out,  the  heads  disappeared,  and  a  fierce  yell  of  rage  showed 
that  one,  if  not  both  of  the  shots  had  found  their  mark. 

"  You  had  better  clear  off,"  Harry  shouted.  "  There  are 
four  of  us,  and  we  have  eight  barrels  between  us,  to  say 
nothing  of  two  brace  of  pistols." 

A  volley  of  curses  was  hurled  back  in  reply. 

"  Now,  Dias,  what  do  you  think  is  our  best  move  ?  " 

"I  don't  know,  senor.    I  fancy  there  are  only  eight  of 


174:  THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  IXC  AS 

them  now.  You  and  your  brother  could  hardly  miss  marfo 
like  their  heads  at  thirty  paces." 

"If  I  were  quite  sure  that  there  are  no  more  of  them  I 
should  say  that,  as  soon  as  it  becomes  dark,  we  had  better 
creep  forward  and  fight  them.  It  would  be  better  to  do  that 
than  wait  for  them  to  attack  us.  But  there  may  be,  and  very 
likely  are,  more  of  these  bands  among  the  hills.  Besides, 
Dias,  we  don't  want  to  lose  one  of  our  number,  and  we  could 
hardly  hope  to  get  through  unscathed,  for  if  we  were  to  try 
to  push  on  they  would  have  us  at  a  tremendous  advantage. 
They  would  hide  among  the  rocks  and  shoot  us  down  before 
we  had  time  to  level  a  gun  at  them.  Now  that  we  have  killed 
one,  if  not  two  of  their  number,  they  will  certainly  try  to 
get  their  revenge,  and  will  harass  us  all  the  way  up  the  pass." 

"  It  is  not  only  that,  senor ;  it  is  the  booty  they  expect  to 
take." 

"  They  could  not  expect  much  booty,"  Harry  said,  "  for 
our  baggage  animals  only  carry  small  loads." 

"  Gold  does  not  take  up  a  large  bulk,  senor ;  and  I  have 
not  the  least  doubt  that  they  believe  we  have  been  gold- 
hunting,  and  have  probably  a  big  amount  of  gold  dust  among 
the  baggage." 

"I  did  not  think  of  that,  Dias.  If  they  believe  we  have 
gold  we  will  take  it  as  granted  that  they  will  do  their  best 
to  get  it.  Well,  do  you  think  it  would  be  a  good  thing  to 
make  a  rush  ?  " 

"No,  senor,  it  would  be  throwing  away  our  lives.  They 
will  guess  that  we  shall  probably  attempt  such  a  thing,  and 
I  have  no  doubt  that  they  will  move  away,  if  they  haven't 
done  so  already,  and  hide  themselves  among  other  rocks. 
Then  if  we  dashed  forward  to  the  place  where  they  had  been, 
they  would  pour  a  volley  into  us  and  finish  us  at  once;  for 
if  they  were  lying  twenty  yards  away  they  ought  certainly 
to  hit  every  one  of  us,  as  they  have  eight  shots  to  fire.  At 
present  I  have  no  doubt  they  are  talking,  and  I  think  we  can 
safely  get  back  to  where  we  piled  up  the  saddles  and  bales. 


BRIGANDS  175 

We  can  defend  ourselves  better  there  than  here.  We  can 
then  talk  matters  over  quietly." 

"  That  will  be  the  best  plan,  Dias,  certainly." 

Keeping  under  cover  as  well  as  they  could  they  retired 
to  the  barricade,  thirty  yards  lower.  Jose,  aided  by  Maria, 
had  completed  the  defence.  They  had  not,  however,  at- 
tempted to  block  the  passage  between  two  great  rocks.  It 
was  but  three  feet  wide;  the  rocks  lay  about  six  feet  from 
the  cliffs  on  either  side,  and  these  spaces  were  partly  filled 
by  smaller  fragments.  Wherever  there  were  open  spaces  the 
blankets  had  been  thrust  in  from  behind.  Dias  had  done 
the  greater  part  of  the  work  before  he  went  up  to  answer 
the  demands  of  the  bandits,  but  the  others  had  laboured 
very  hard  to  finish  it. 

"  Well  done ! "  Harry  said  as  they  passed  through  the 
entrance. 

"  I  told  them  not  to  close  the  path,"  Dias  said.  "  We 
can  do  that  now  we  are  all  together.  Most  of  the  rocks  are 
too  heavy  for  Jose  and  Maria  to  lift.  Shall  we  build  it 
up  now,  sefior?  I  am  sure  they  cannot  force  their  way 
through,  while  we  four  are  holding  the  barricade." 

"  Certainly  not,  Dias,  and  I  have  no  fear  of  their  attempt- 
ing it.  But  I  think  it  would  be  as  well  for  us  to  close  it, 
otherwise  we  could  not  cross  from  one  side  to  the  other 
without  exposing  ourselves." 

It  took  them  two  hours'  hard  work — the  harder  because 
the  stones  had  to  be  thrown  into  the  passage  from  the  sides, 
as  the  brigands  might  be  crouching  among  the  rocks  higher 
up  waiting  for  an  opportunity  to  get  a  shot.  At  the  end 
of  the  two  hours  the  gap  was  filled  up  to  the  height  of  six 
feet. 

"Now  we  can  talk  matters  over  quietly,  Dias,"  Harry 
said.  "  We  may  take  it  that,  whether  they  attack  by  day  or 
by  night,  we  can  beat  them  off.  There  is  a  little  rill  of  water 
that  trickles  down  along  the  centre,  so  we  need  not  fear  being 
driven  qut  by  thirst,  and  we  have  food  enough  to  last  us  a 


176          THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  INCAS 

fortnight.  That  is  settled ;  but  they  may  stay  there  for  any 
time,  and  without  exposing  ourselves  to  sudden  death  we 
cannot  find  out  whether  they  are  still  hanging  about  or  not. 
Of  course  one  very  important  question  is,  are  they  going  to 
be  joined  by  others?" 

"  I  think  they  certainly  will  be,  senor.  As  many  of  these 
fellows  are  hiding  among  the  hills  as  would  make  a  good- 
sized  regiment,  and  they  have  only  to  send  off  two  or  three 
of  their  number  with  the  news  that  a  party  of  gold-diggers 
with  five  laden  mules  are  shut  up  in  this  ravine  to  gather 
any  number  of  them.  They  would  come  as  quickly  as  vult- 
ures to  a  dead  horse.  It  must  be  a  long  time  since  they  had 
any  really  valuable  plunder,  and  the  fact  that  we  have  five 
baggage  mules  besides  the  three  riding  ones  would  show  that, 
we  had  probably  been  a  very  long  time  away,  and  might  there- 
fore possess  a  lot  of  gold." 

"  Are  there  any  other  passes  near  ?  " 

"  The  nearest,  senor,  is  on  the  other  branch  of  the  Palcazu 
— the  river  we  followed  till  we  entered  the  passes — and  is 
about  thirty  miles  to  the  north.  The  pass  starts  from  a  spot 
about  fifteen  miles  above  the  junction,  and  goes  up  to  Huaca, 
a  place  that  is  little  more  than  ten  miles  south  of  Huanuco. 
From  Huaca  we  could  either  follow  the  road  to  Cerro,  or 
strike  across  the  Western  Cordilleras  to  Aguamiro." 

"  Then  I  think,  Bias,  that  our  best  plan  will  be  to  go  down 
again  into  the  valley  we  left  yesterday  morning,  and  then 
strike  across  for  the  mouth  of  this  pass  you  speak  of.  You 
know  the  direction  ?  " 

"  I  know  the  general  direction,  although  I  have  never  been 
along  there." 

"Well,  Bias,  you  must  be  the  guide.  I  should  say  the 
sooner  we  start  the  better.  My  idea  is  this:  If  you  with 
your  wife  and  Jose  will  start  at  once,  so  as  to  be  down  the 
pass  before  it  gets  dark,  my  brother  and  I  will  remain  here. 
You  will  leave  our  riding  mules  at  the  point  where  the  track 
is  good  enough  for  us  to  gallop  on." 


BRIGANDS  177 

"  We  should  not  like  to  leave  you,  senor,"  Maria  said. 

"  I  have  not  the  least  fear  of  their  attacking  us,  and  with 
our  rifles  and  double-barrelled  guns  and  pistols  we  could 
beat  them  off  if  they  did.  I  can't  see  any  better  way  of  get- 
ting out  of  this  scrape,  and  am  quite  willing  to  adopt  this 
plan." 

"  I  don't  see  any  other  way,  senor,"  Bias  said.  "  The  plan 
is  a  good  one;  but  I  wish  I  could  stay  here  with  you." 

"  But  that  would  be  impossible,  Dias,  for  there  would  be 
no  chance  of  our  finding  the  mouth  of  this  pass  by  ourselves." 

"  Why  could  we  not  all  go  together  ? "  Maria  asked. 

"  Because  if  there  were  no  one  here  the  brigands  might 
discover  that  we  had  gone,  within  an  hour  or  so  of  our  start- 
ing. They  might  fire  a  shot  or  two,  and,  finding  that  we 
did  not  answer,  crawl  gradually  down  till  they  got  here,  for 
it  must  seem  possible  to  them  that  we  should  return  down 
the  pass;  and  as  there  is  no  getting  the  baggage  mules  to 
go  fast,  we  might  very  well  be  overtaken — I  don't  mean  by 
those  eight  men,  but  by  a  considerable  number." 

"  But  how  are  you  to  find  your  way,  senor?  "  Dias  said. 

"  We  shall  follow  the  valley  down  till  we  come  to  the  spot 
where  you  have  struck  off.  You  can  fasten  a  white  hand- 
kerchief to  a  stick  and  put  it  in  some  hare  place  where  we 
are  sure  to'  see  it.  I  want  you  to  halt  when  you  get  to  the 
river  somewhere  opposite  the  mouth  of  the  pass.  We  will 
ride  nearly  due  north,  and  when  we  strike  the  river  will  fol- 
low it  down  till  we  reach  you." 

"  We  can't  halt  opposite  the  mouth  of  the  pass,  for  the 
river  there  is  already  some  size,  and  we  could  not  cross  it. 
I  shall  keep  along  near  the  foot  of  the  hills — the  water  there 
is  shallow  enough  to  ford.  Then  I  will  follow  it  down  until, 
as  you  say,  near  the  entrance  to  the  pass,  and  there  stop  on 
the  bank  till  you  come." 

"  That  will  do  very  well.  In  that  case  it  won't  matter 
much  where  we  strike  the  stream,  as  our  mules  can  swim 
across  easily  enough — they  have  had  plenty  of  practice  dur- 


178          THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  INCAS 

ing  the  past  six  months.  However,  we  will  turn  off  north 
where  we  can  see  your  signal." 

"  When  will  you  leave,  sefior  ? " 

"  To-morrow  morning.  I  have  no  fear  of  their  attacking 
during  the  night,  for  they  can  hardly  bring  other  bands  down 
here  before  morning.  As  soon  as  it  gets  dark  we  will  light 
two  torches  and  put  them  down  at  the  foot  of  the  barricade, 
so  that  we  shall  be  in  the  shadow.  These  will  show  them 
that  we  are  still  here,  and  they  won't  care  to  venture  down 
into  the  circle  of  light.  We  have  let  them  know  what  a  for- 
midable amount  of  firearms  we  have,  and  have  given  them 
a  lesson  that  we  can  shoot  straight." 

"  They  certainly  would  not  come,  senor,  as  long  as  your 
torches  are  burning,  but  three  hours  are  as  much  as  you  can 
reckon  upon  their  burning." 

"  Well,  we  have  a  dozen  left  now,  Dias,  and  when  they  burn 
out  we  must  light  two  more  and  throw  them  over  and  trust 
to  their  burning  as  they  lie  among  the  stones.  Of  course  we 
should  not  think  of  going  down  to  stick  them  upright,  for 
the  scoundrels  will  probably  be  watching  us  as  closely  as  we 
are  watching  them.  However,  I  shall  manage  to  keep  the 
lights  going  till  daybreak,  and  shall  start  a  good  hour  before 
that.  We  shall  have  to  go  down  cautiously,  and  I  should 
like  to  be  well  away  with  the  mules  before  they  discover  that 
we  have  left.  Now,  the  sooner  you  are  off  the  better. 
Breakfast  has  been  ready  for  the  past  hour.  You  had  better 
eat  it  and  get  under  weigh  as  soon  as  you  can.  After  you 
Lave  gone  one  of  us  will  keep  watch  while  the  other  eats. 
I  have  no  doubt  there  will  be  plenty  left  for  our  supper." 

"  Yes,  senor,  and  enough  cakes  to  carry  you  on  till  you 
join  us." 

Half  an  hour  later  the  party  started,  Dias  having  muffled 
the  mules'  hoofs,  so  that  the  clatter,  as  they  passed  over  the 
rocks,  might  not  be  heard  above. 

"  Now,  Bertie,  you  go  down  to  breakfast.  When  you  have 
done  come  up  and  relieve  me.  You  have  no  occasion  to 


BRIGANDS  179 

hurry,  for  it  is  absolutely  certain  that  they  won't  dare  to 
attack  till  they  get  reinforcements." 

When  Bertie  returned  he  said,  "  Here  is  a  lot  of  food, 
Harry,  they  have  hardly  eaten  anything.  There  is  plenty 
for  us  to-day  and  to-morrow." 

.  "  That  is  just  like  them,  Bertie ;  but  I  daresay  they  will 
camp  in  five  or  six  hours.  It  feels  quite  lonely  without 
them." 

"  That  it  does.  It  is  really  the  first  time  we  have  been 
alone  since  we  left  Lima,  except,  of  course,  when  we  were 
out  shooting  together." 

"  Be  sure  you  don't  show  your  head  above  the  barricade, 
Bertie.  You  must  do  as  I  have  been  doing,  sit  down  here 
and  look  out  through  this  peep-hole  between  these  rocks. 
Shove  your  rifle  through  it,  so  that,  if  you  see  a  head  looking 
out  from  between  the  rocks  up  there,  you  can  fire  at  once." 

In  half  an  hour  Harry  came  back  and  sat  down  by  his 
brother,  and,  lighting  their  pipes,  they  chatted  over  the 
events  of  their  journey  and  the  prospect  before  them. 

"  I  am  afraid,  Harry,  the  journey  will  be  a  failure,  except 
that  we  have  had  a  very  jolly  time." 

"  Well,  so  far  it  has  not  turned  out  much ;  but,  somehow 
or  other,  I  have  great  faith  in  this  haunted  castle.  Of  course 
the  demons  Dias  is  so  afraid  of  are  probably  Indians,  who 
are  placed  there  to  frighten  intruders  away,  and  they  would 
not  keep  watch  unless  they  had  something  to  guard.  I  can- 
not understand  how  it  has  escaped  the  notice  of  the  Span- 
iards all  these  years.  I  had  not  much  faith  in  their  stories 
until  we  found  how  true  they  were  in  all  particulars  as  to 
what  they  call  the  golden  river.  There  is  one  satisfaction, 
however:  if  the  place  is  really  a  castle,  it  can  hardly  have 
disappeared  under  the  lake.  Of  course  if  it  is  in  ruins  we 
may  have  a  lot  of  difficulty  in  getting  at  the  vaults,  or  wher- 
ever else  treasure  may  have  been  buried;  but  unless  it  is  a 
very  big  place,  which  is  hardly  probable,  the  work  would  be 
nothing  compared  with  the  draining  of  the  lake." 


180          THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  INCAS 

"We  have  got  nearly  a  year  in  hand,  Harry,  and  can  do 
a  lot  of  work  in  that  time,  especially  if  we  use  powder." 

"  Yes ;  but,  you  see,  we  ought  to  allow  at  least  five  months 
for  getting  home.  Still,  no  doubt  if  I  felt  justified  in  writ- 
ing to  ask  for  another  three  or  four  months,  saying  I  had 
great  hopes  of  finding  something  very  good  in  a  short  time, 
she  would  stand  out  against  her  father  a  little  longer.  I 
shall  write  directly  we  get  to  Lima  to  say  that,  although  I 
have  so  far  failed,  I  do  not  give  up  hope,  and  am  just  start- 
ing on  another  enterprise  that  promises  well." 

Bertie  held  up  his  finger.  "  I  think  I  heard  somebody 
move.  It  sounded  like  a  stone  being  turned  over."  For  two 
or  three  minutes  he  lay  motionless,  with  his  finger  on  the 
trigger.  Then  he  fired. 

"What  was  it,  Bertie?" 

"It  was  a  man's  leg.  I  suddenly  saw  it  below  that  rift 
behind  the  rock.  I  expect  he  had  no  idea  that  his  foot 
showed  there.  I  am  pretty  sure  I  hit  it,  for  I  had  time  to 
take  a  steady  aim,  and  the  foot  disappeared  the  instant  I 
fired.  If  he  did  not  know  it  was  exposed,  there  was  no  rea- 
son why  he  should  have  moved  at  all  if  he  hadn't  been  hit." 

"It  was  better  to  hit  his  foot  than  his  head,  Bertie.  It 
is  equally  good  as  a  lesson,  if  not  better,  for  though  we  don't 
mean  to  let  them  kill  us,  I  don't  want  to  take  life  unless 
it  is  absolutely  necessary.  Well,  after  that  proof  of  the 
sharpness  of  our  watch  they  are  not  likely  to  make  any  fresh 
move." 

The  day  passed  slowly.  They  took  it  by  turns  to  keep 
watch,  and  just  before  dusk  Harry  said,  "I  think,  Bertie, 
that  we  might  pull  out  the  leaves  and  bush  that  Bias  shoved 
into  one  of  these  gaps  when  he  took  the  blankets  and  things 
out.  I  could  push  the  torch  through  and  fix  it  there,  that 
would  save  having  to  cross  the  barricade.  It  is  quite  possible 
that  one  of  those  fellows  may  be  keeping  as  sharp  a  look-out 
as  we  are  doing,  and  it  is  as  well  not  to  set  one's  self  up  as  a 
mark.  If  I  put  it  through  now  it  won't  show  much,  while 


BEIGANDS  181 

if  I  wait  till  darkness  falls  it  will  be  an  easy  object  to  fire  at. 
You  keep  a  sharp  look-out  while  I  am  doing  this,  and  if  you 
see  either  a  head  or  a  gun  try  to  hit  it." 

Harry  accomplished  the  operation  without  drawing  a  shot, 
and  as  soon  as  he  had  fixed  the  torch  he  again  stopped  the 
hole  up  behind  it. 

"  It  is  evident  that  they  are  not  watching  us  very  closely," 
he  said.  "If  they  have  not  sent  for  help,  they  have  gone 
off.  With  two  of  their  men  killed  and  two  disabled,  the  fight 
must  have  been  taken  out  of  them.  We  will  watch  by  turns 
to-night.  It  is  six  o'clock  now;  will  you  sit  up  till  eleven, 
or  shall  I?" 

"  I  don't  care  a  bit.    Which  would  you  rather  take  ? n 

"I  don't  care; — however,  I  may  as  well  take  the  first 
watch.  We  will  start  at  five,  so  rouse  me  at  four.  If  they 
come  at  all,  which  is  possible,  but  not  probable,  it  will  be 
between  four  and  five." 

At  ten  o'clock  Harry  could  see  a  glow  of  light  at  some 
distance  from  the  mouth  of  the  ravine,  and  in  the  stillness 
could  occasionally  catch  the  sound  of  voices.  When  he  woke 
Bertie  at  twelve  the  lad  looked  at  his  watch  and  said,  "  You 
are  an  hour  late  in  calling  me,  Harry." 

"  Yes,  I  had  no  inclination  for  sleep.  The  fellows  have 
been  reinforced.  Of  course  I  don't  know  to  what  extent, 
but  I  should  say  pretty  strongly.  They  have  lit  a  big  fire 
some  distance  from  the  ravine.  They  would  not  have  dared 
to  light  one  if  they  had  not  felt  themselves  strong  enough  to 
fight  us.  No  doubt  they  have  half  a  dozen  men  on  watch 
where  we  first  saw  them,  and  these  would  give  notice  if  we 
were  coming.  I  think  we  may  as  well  fire  a  couple  of  shots, 
it  will  show  them  that  we  are  here  and  on  guard.  They 
will  suppose  we  thought  we  heard  someone  coming  down  to 
reconnoitre  our  position." 

They  both  fired  over  the  top  of  the  barricade. 

"I  see  you  have  renewed  the  torch,  Harry,"  Bertie  said 
as  they  reloaded. 


182  THE  TEEASUEE  OF  THE  INC  AS 

u  Yes,  I  have  done  so  twice.  I  was  very  careful,  however, 
as  I  feared  they  might  be  watching.  I  did  not  wait  for  the 
lighted  one  to  burn  out,  but  passed  the  other  one  out,  putting 
the  end  of  my  poncho  round  my  hand  and  arm,  so  that  they 
•could  hardly  be  noticed  even  by  anyone  within  ten  yards, 
and  certainly  could  not  be  seen  from  up  there.  As  I  pushed 
it  through  I  lighted  it  at  the  stump  of  the  old  torch  and  then 
withdrew  my  hand  like  a  shot.  I  did  the  same  thing  again 
an  hour  ago  with  equal  success,  so  it  is  evident  that  they  are 
not  keeping  a  very  sharp  look-out  above,  and  have  no  fear 
of  our  making  a  sortie,  hampered  as  we  are  by  our  animals." 

The  torch  was  changed  again  at  four  o'clock,  and  a  little 
later  Bertie  heard  a  slight  noise. 

"  I  think  they  are  coming,  Harry,"  he  said  quietly. 

Harry  was  at  once  on  his  feet.  "  Use  your  rifle  first,  Ber- 
tie, and  sling  it  over  your  shoulder  before  you  give  them  the 
two  barrels  of  buck-shot,  so  that  you  can  start  to  run  at  once 
if  we  don't  stop  them." 

"  Yes,  I  am  certain  they  are  coming,"  he  said,  after  listen- 
ing for  two  or  three  minutes.  "  We  have  got  two  or  three 
torches  left,  and  I  will  give  them  the  benefit  of  them." 

He  went  back  to  the  embers  of  the  fire,  lighted  the  torches, 
and,  returning  to  the  barrier,  threw  them  twenty  or  thirty 
yards  up  the  ravine.  There  was  a  hoarse  shout  of  anger, 
and  then  a  dozen  shots  were  fired.  Bertie's  rifle  cracked  out 
in  return,  and  Harry's  followed  almost  immediately.  A 
dark  group  of  some  twenty  or  thirty  men  were  rushing  for- 
ward, and  had  just  reached  the  line  where  the  torches  were 
burning,  when  four  barrels  of  buck-shot  were  poured  into 
them.  Three  or  four  fell,  the  rest  fled  at  once,  and  the  cries 
and  oaths  showed  that  many  of  them  were  wounded. 

"  They  won't  venture  again  for  the  present,"  Harry  said. 
"You  may  be  sure  they  will  hold  a  council  of  war,  so  load 
again  and  then  we  will  be  off." 

Two  minutes  later  they  were  making  their  way  carefully 
down  the  rocky  passage,  Harry  carrying  the  bundle  they  had 


BBIGANDS  183 

made  up  of  the  unconsumed  provisions.  As  they  had  to 
exercise  great  care  in  climbing  over  the  rocks,  the  day  was 
just  breaking  when  they  came  upon  two  mules  that  had  been 
left  behind  for  them.  They  rode  cautiously  until  they  were 
quite  out  of  the  ravine,  and  then  started  down  the  valley  at 
a  gallop.  In  an  hour  Bertie  exclaimed,  "  There  is  the  flag !  " 

They  rode  to  it  and  then  turned  off  to  the  north,  slacken- 
ing their  pace  to  a  trot.  The  animals  were  in  good  condi- 
tion, as  they  had  of  late  been  making  short  marches,  and  at 
eleven  o'clock  they  came  upon  the  river.  Here  they  waited 
for  an  hour,  gave  a  couple  of  cakes  to  each  animal,  and  ate 
the  rest  themselves.  The  river  was  some  fifty  yards  across, 
but  the  mules  only  needed  to  swim  about  half  this  distance. 
The  brothers  kept  beside  them,  placing  one  elbow  on  the  sad- 
dles and  holding  their  rifles  and  ammunition  well  above  the 
water.  They  were  soon  across,  and,  mounting,  followed  the 
river  down,  letting  the  animals  go  their  own  pace,  and  some- 
times walking  beside  them,  as  they  wished  to  keep  them 
fresh  for  the  next  day's  work.  At  five  in  the  afternoon  they 
saw  smoke  ahead  of  them,  and,  riding  faster  now,  soon  joined 
their  companions,  who  hailed  their  arrival  with  shouts  of 
joy. 

"  We  have  been  terribly  anxious  about  you,  senors,"  Dias 
said,  "  and  regretted  deeply  that  we  deserted  you." 

"  It  was  not  desertion,  Dias ;  you  wexe  obeying  orders,  and 
were  on  duty  guarding  the  baggage.  There  was  really  no 
cause  for  uneasiness;  we  were  certain  that  we  could  beat 
them  off  if  they  ventured  to  attack  us." 

"And  did  they  do  so?" 

"  They  made  a  feeble  attack  this  morning  at  four  o'clock, 
but  we  were  ready  for  them.  They  might  have  carried  the 
barricade  had  we  only  had  our  rifles,  but  buck-shot  was  too 
much  for  them.  Of  course  we  brought  down  two  with  our 
rifles;  but  there  must  have  been  over  a  score  of  them,  and 
the  four  barrels  of  buck-shot  did  heavy  execution.  Some  of 
them  fell,  and  I  fancy  most  -of  the  others  got  a  dose  of  shot, 


184:  THE   TREASURE   OF  THE  INCAS 

as  they  were  all  in  a  close  body.  I  will  tell  you  all  about  it 
'after  we  have  had  supper." 

"  I  have  got  it  ready,"  Maria  said.  "  We  have  been  ex- 
pecting you  for  the  past  hour,  and  I  was  sure  you  would 
have  good  appetites  when  you  arrived." 

After  the  story  had  been  told  Dias  said :  "  That  was  a 
capital  plan  of  keeping  the  torches  burning  all  night,  and 
especially  of  throwing  two  of  them  up  the  ravine  when  you 
heard  the  fellows  coming.  Of  course  they  calculated  on  get- 
ting within  fifteen  yards  or  so  before  you  saw  them.  Well, 
there  is  no  fear  of  our  hearing  any  more  of  them.  I  expect 
you  must  have  been  gone  hours  before  they  found  out  that 
you  had  left." 

"I  should  not  be  surprised  if,  after  they  had  recovered 
from  their  defeat,  half  of  them  made  a  big  circuit  over  the 
hills — no  doubt  they  know  every  foot  of  them — and,  coming 
down  at  the  bottom  of  the  ravine,  built  a  strong  barricade, 
making  up  their  minds  to  guard  both  ends  until  we  were 
obliged  to  surrender  from  want  of  food.  Having  suffered 
so  heavily,  they  would  do  everything  in  their  power  to  pre- 
vent any  of  us  from  getting  out  alive." 

"  In  that  case  they  must  have  been  prepared  to  wait  for 
some  time,  Dias,  for  they  knew  we  had  eight  animals  to  eat." 

"  They  would  not  have  lasted  long,  senor,  for  we  have  only 
a  few  handfuls  of  grain  left,  and  there  is  not  enough  forage 
in  the  ravine  to  last  them  a  couple  of  days." 

"I  expect  they  would  have  tried  to  get  us  to  surrender, 
by  offering  to  let  us  pass  if  we  would  give  them  half  of  the 
gold  they  thought  we  had  with  us.  There  is  no  chance  of 
our  being  followed,  I  suppose,  Dias  ? " 

"Not  the  slightest.  When  at  last  they  discover  that  we 
have  gone,  they  will  come  down  the  pass  and  find  where  the 
mules  were  left  standing.  They  will  then  see  that  only  two 
of  us  had  remained  at  the  barricade,  and  will  guess  at  once 
that  the  rest  left  hours  before.  They  will  therefore  con- 
clude that,  being  on  foot,  they  have  no  chance  of  overtaking 
us,  even  if  they  could  find  the  track." 


BEIGANDS  185 

u  No,  I  expect  by  this  time  they  are  dancing  with  rage, 
and  as  likely  as  not  quarrelling  furiously  among  themselves. 
How  far  do  you  think  we  have  ridden  to-day  ? " 

"  Nearer  sixty  miles  than  fifty,  senor." 

"Yes,  I  suppose  we  have.  And  if  we  had  come  straight 
here?" 

"  It  would  have  been  nearly  fifteen  miles  shorter.  But  if 
they  pursued  they  would  not  come  that  way,  because  they 
would  not  be  able  to  get  across.  I  think  they  would  have 
to  go  round  and  ford  the  river  some  miles  higher  than  you 
did.  They  could  never  swim  across  with  their  guns  and 
ammunition  to  carry." 

"I  should  not  count  on  that,  Dias.  They  might  come 
straight  here,  as  they  would  guess  that  we  had  made  for  this 
pass,  and  they  might  make  bundles  of  reeds  to  carry  their 
guns  and  ammunition  across,  and  swim  over." 

"  That  would  be  possible,"  Dias  admitted  reluctantly,  "  and 
if  they  knew  that  the  five  mules  were  all  loaded  with  gold 
they  might  be  tempted  to  follow;  but  that  they  could  only 
guess.  I  have  no  doubt,  too,  that  many  of  them  had  been 
walking  for  hours  across  the  mountains  before  the  attack, 
and  as  you  fired  into  the  thick  of  them,  a  fair  share  must 
have  been  too  much  wounded  to  start  on  a  forty-miles' 
tramp." 

"  No,  senor.  I  do  not  think  there  is  any  chance  what- 
ever of  their  pursuing  us.  Besides,  I  chose  a  spot  where  the 
ground  was  hard  and  rocky  to  plant  that  flag.  And  they 
would  have  a  good  deal  of  difficulty  in  ascertaining  in  what 
direction  we  went  from  there." 

"  We  pulled  up  the  flag-staff  and  threw  it  away  among  the 
bushes  a  mile  and  a  half  farther,  and  of  course  brought  the 
handkerchief  with  us." 

"I  don't  think  we  need  give  another  thought  to  them, 
senor.  At  the  same  time,  it  would  be  as  well  to  keep  one 
on  watch  all  night.  Jose  and  I  will  be  on  guard  by  turns. 
Neither  of  you  slept  a  wink  last  night,  so  you  must  not  keep 
watch  this  time." 


186          THE  TKEASUBE  OF  THE  INCAS 

"  I  sha'n't  be  sorry  for  a  good  sleep,  for  the  meal  we  have 
eaten  has  made  me  drowsy.  However,  if  you  hear  the  least 
noise,  wake  us  at  once." 

"  That  I  will  do,  senor.  It  is  a  great  deal  more  likely  to 
be  made  by  a  wild  beast  than  by  a  brigand." 

The  brothers  were  sound  asleep  in  a  few  minutes,  and  did 
not  wake  till  J)ias  called  them,  and  said  that  Maria  had 
coffee  ready. 

"  What  sort  of  a  pass  is  it  to-day,  Dias  ?  " 

"  Not  a  very  bad  one,  senor.  The  one  we  tried  yesterday 
hadn't  been  used  for  very  many  years,  there  is  regular  traffic 
up  and  down  this;  not  valuable  traffic,  for  Pozuco  is  a  small 
place.  They  send  up  fruit  and  dried  fish,  and  the  oil  they 
get  from  the  fish;  and  bring  back  cloth,  and  such  things  as 
are  required  in  the  village." 

"  So  there  is  nothing  to  tempt  brigands  to  infest  the  pass 
and  rob  travellers  ?  " 

"  No,  senor.  When  I  last  went  through  it  I  heard  no  talk 
of  them  at  all.  They  are  more  likely  to  infest  the  hills  be- 
yond Cerro,  for  near  that  place  really  valuable  captures  can 
be  made." 

"  That  accounts  for  their  being  able  to  gather  so  many 
men  to  attack  us." 

The  journey  up  the  pass  occupied  two  days.  They  met 
three  or  four  small  parties  of  men  with  donkeys  or  mules, 
but  all  these  when  questioned  said  that  the  pass  was  per- 
fectly open,  and  that  it  was  a  very  rare  thing  indeed  for 
anyone  to  be  robbed  on  the  way.  Late  in  the  evening  of  the 
second  day  they  arrived  at  Huaca,  and  were  advised  to  go  to 
the  priest's  house,  as  the  accommodation  at  the  inn  was  so 
bad.  The  man  who  directed  them  there  was  the  head  man 
of  the  place,  and  they  gladly  accepted  his  offer  to  guide  them 
to  the  priest's  house. 

"It  would  be  the  best  way,  sefior,"  Dias  said.  "I  know 
a  man  here  who  would  willingly  put  us  up,  and  who  has  a 
yard  where  the  mules  could  pass  the  night." 


BEIGANDS  187 

"  Very  well,  Bias.  Be  sure  you  buy  a  good  stock  of  grain. 
They  have  scarce  had  any  for  the  last  three  days." 

The  priest — a  cheery,  hearty  man — received  Harry  and 
Bertie  cordially  when  they  were  introduced  as  English  trav- 
ellers, especially  when  he  found  that  they  could  both  speak 
Spanish  fluently. 

"It  is  a  pleasure  to  receive  British  travellers,"  he  said. 
"  Cochrane  and  Miller  have  done  more  for  us  than  any  of 
our  own  countrymen.  It  is  not  often  that  travellers  come 
this  way.  I  have  heard  of  two  or  three  going  to  Cuzco,  but 
they  never  come  farther  north  than  Cerro.  I  shall  be  de- 
lighted if  you  will  stay  two  or  three  days  here,  senors.  We 
get  so  little  news  of  the  world  that  it  would  be  a  great  pleas- 
ure to  us  to  hear  what  is  going  on  outside  this  unfortunate 
country." 

"We  can  give  you  but  little  news,  for  it  is  more  than  a 
year  since  we  left  England,  and  we  have  heard  nothing  of 
what  is  doing  in  Europe,  as  we  have  been  travelling  and 
shooting  at  the  foot  of  the  mountains  between  the  bottom 
of  this  pass  and  Tinta  volcano." 

"  And  gold  seeking  ? "  the  priest  asked  with  a  twinkle  in 
his  eye. 

"  We  have  occasionally  washed  the  sands  in  the  streams, 
but  have  not  found  enough  to  repay  our  work.  The  amount 
we  have  gathered  is  only  about  twenty  ounces." 

"  Well,  gentlemen,  I  shall  be  delighted  to  have  you  as  my 
guests  as  long  as  you  are  willing  to  stay." 

"  We  are  greatly  obliged  to  you,"  Harry  said,  "  and  will 
gladly  be  your  guests.  To-morrow  the  animals  need  a  rest, 
and  we  shall  enjoy  one  too.  Next  morning  we  must  be  go- 
ing on,  as  we  have  been  away  longer  than  we  ought,  and  want 
to  get  down  to  Lima  quickly." 

They  had  great  difficulty  in  getting  away  from  Huaca, 
where  the  good  priest  made  them  extremely  comfortable,  and 
was  very  loath  to  let  them  go.  However,  at  dawn  on  the' 
second  day  they  started  for  Cerro,  and  arrived  there  forty- 
eight  hours  later  after  a  rough  journey  through  the  hills. 


188          THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  INCAS 

"  We  never  know  in  Peru,  when  we  go  to  bed,  who  will  be 
president  when  we  wake,"  Dias  said  that  evening.  "  There 
have  been  a  dozen  of  them  in  the  past  five  years.  Lamar, 
Gamarra,  La  Fuente,  Orbegozo,  Bermudes,  and  Salaverry 
succeeded  one  another;  then  Santa  Cruz  became  master. 
Nieto  had  the  upper  hand  for  a  bit,  and  at  that  time  there 
was  no  travelling  on  the  roads,  they  were  so  infested  by  rob- 
bers; one  band  was  master  of  Lima  for  some  time.  Then 
the  Chilians  occupied  Lima;  Santa  Cruz  was  defeated,  and 
Gamarra  came  in  again.  None  of  these  men  was  ever  su- 
preme over  the  whole  country.  Generals  mutinied  with  the 
troops  under  them,  other  leaders  sprang  up,  and  altogether 
there  has  been  trouble  and  civil  war  ever  since  the  Spaniards 
left.  That  is  why  the  country  is  so  full  of  robbers.  When 
an  army  was  defeated,  those  who  escaped  took  to  the  hills 
and  lived  by  plunder  until  some  other  chief  revolted,  then 
they  would  go  down  and  join  him;  and  so  it  has  gone  on." 

"  Who  composed  those  armies  ?  because  the  fields  seem  to 
have  been  well  cultivated,  and  the  peasants  are  quiet  enough." 

"  Yes,  senor,  for  the  most  part  they  take  no  part  in  these 
affairs.  The  men  who  compose  the  armies  were  in  the  first 
place  the  remains  of  those  who  fought  against  the  Spaniards. 
When  the  Spaniards  left  the  country  these  men  had  nothing 
to  do,  and  were  ready  to  enlist  under  anyone  who  raised  a 
flag  and  promised  them  pay.  Of  course  there  are  many  men 
in  the  towns  who  are  too  lazy  to  work,  and  who  help  to  keep 
up  the  supply  of  armed  men.  The  good  God  only  knows 
when  these  things  will  come  to  an  end.  A  few  of  those  who 
have  come  into  power  really  loved  their  country,  and  hoped 
to  establish  order  and  do  away  with  all  the  abuses  caused  by 
the  men  who  were  appointed  to  offices  by  one  or  another  of 
those  tyrants;  but  most  of  them  were  ambitious  soldiers, 
who  led  mutineers  against  the  chief  of  the  moment.  If 
Heaven  would  but  destroy  or  strike  with  blindness  the  sol- 
diers— and  above  all,  every  official  in  Peru — the  country 
might  hope  for  peace  and  good  government.  The  best  man 


BRIGANDS  189 

who  has  ever  fought  out  here  since  Lord  Cochrane  left  the 
place  was  General  Miller,  your  countryman,  who  was  splen- 
didly brave.  He  was  always  true  to  his  word,  never  allowed 
his  soldiers  to  plunder,  and  never  ill-treated  those  captured 
in  battle.  Ah !  they  should  have  made  him  president,  but  it 
would  never  have  done.  As  the  Chilians  were  jealous  of 
Lord  Cochrane,  the  Peruvians  were  jealous  of  Miller,  first 
because  he  was  a  foreigner,  secondly  because  his  uprightness 
and  fidelity  were  a  reproach  to  their  ambition  and  treachery, 
their  greed,  and  their  cruelty.  Besides,  he  understood  them 
too  well,  and  if  all  Peru  had  asked  him  to  be  president,  he 
knew  well  enough  that  conspiracies  against  him  would  begin 
the  next  morning.  Ah,  he  was  a  great  man! 

"  Well,  senor,  I  think  that  before  we  start  it  will  be  well 
that  I  at  least  should  go  on  to  Ayapata  and  find  out  what  is 
doing.  That  would  only  delay  us  two  days,  and  we  might 
be  better  able  to  judge  as  to  which  route  to  take.  They  may 
be  fighting  in  the  north,  and  we  do  not  want  to  get  mixed 
up  in  any  way  in  their  quarrels." 

"  I  think  that  would  be  a  very  good  plan,  Dias.  You  start 
in  the  morning,  and  we  will  stay  quietly  here  till  you  come 
back  with  the  news.  If  many  brigands  are  in  the  pass  they 
might  get  to  hear  of  us  from  someone  going  over  from  this 
side,  and  take  it  into  their  heads  to  come  down.  I  would 
certainly  rather  not  have  to  fight  with  you  away." 

Accordingly  next  morning  Dias  went  on  ahead.  On  the 
following  evening  he  rejoined  them. 

"  There  is  fresh  trouble  in  the  south,  senor.  Colonel  Vi- 
vancohidas  has  declared  himself  Regenerator  of  Peru,  and 
is  now  marching  against  Gamarra,  and  General  Castilla  is 
advancing  against  him.  The  fighting  will  be  somewhere  near 
Arequipa.  Whichever  wins  will  presently  cross  the  moun- 
tains and  make  for  Cuzco." 

"  Then  that  settles  it,  Dias.  Certainly  I  have  heard  noth- 
ing in  Gamarra's  favour,  but  a  great  deal  against  him,  since 
I  landed,  and  I  care  nothing  about  either  side;  but  I  hope 


190          THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  INC  AS 

the  new  man  will  win,  because  I  think  that  any  change  from 
Gamarra  will  be  an  improvement." 


CHAPTER  XII 

PRISONERS 

WHEN  they  arrived  at  Cerro  de  Pasco  they  found  that 
the  division  of  Gamarra's  army  stationed  in  the  dis- 
trict had  mutinied  and  had  declared  for  Vivancohidas,  and 
were  killing  all  those  known  as  adherents  of  Gamarra.  AH 
traffic  was  at  a  stand-still.  Numbers  of  the  soldiers  who  did 
not  choose  to  join  in  the  mutiny  had  taken  to  the  hills,  and 
were  pillaging  convoys  and  peaceful  travellers  alike. 

"  I  think,  senor,"  Dias  said,  "  that  instead  of  crossing  the 
Cordilleras  to  the  west,  as  we  had  intended,  it  will  be  better 
for  us  to  go  south,  skirt  the  lake  of  Junin,  and  make  for 
Oroya.  That  is  the  route  generally  taken,  for  the  passes 
west  are  terribly  difficult.  I  have  traversed  this  route  many 
times,  and,  when  going  with  merchandise  I  always  go  through 
Oroya,  though  in  returning  from  Cerro  I  take  the  shorter 
route." 

"Very  well,  Dias,  you  are  the  best  judge  of  that.  It  is 
a  great  nuisance  that  this  rising  should  have  taken  place 
just  as  we  want  to  traverse  the  country,  but  it  can't  be  helped. 
I  will  go  to  the  head-quarters  of  Quinda — he  is  established 
at  the  mayor's  house  here — and  get  a  pass  from  him. 

"  It  would  be  well,  perhaps,  if  you  were  to  go  with  me, 
Dias,  to  confirm  my  statement  that  we  have  been  shooting 
and  hunting.  I  hope  he  will  give  us  a  pass,  so  that  we  shall 
not  be  interfered  with  by  his  men  gathered  at  different  points 
on  the  road  to  Oroya.  I  hear  that  a  considerable  portion  of 
his  force  have  already  marched  forward." 

The  Peruvian  colonel  questioned  Harry  closely  as  to  his 
motives  for  travelling  there. 


PRISONERS  191 

u  I  suppose,"  lie  said,  "  you  have  been  searching  for  gold, 
"We  are  sorely  in  need  of  funds,  and  I  shall  feel  myself  obliged 
to  borrow  any  gold  that  you  may  have  collected  for  the  use 
of  my  army,  giving  you  an  order  on  the  treasury  at  Limar 
which  will,  of  course,  be  honoured  as  soon  as  the  authority 
of  President  Vivancohidas  is  established." 

"  I  do  not  doubt  the  goodness  of  the  security,"  Harry  said 
quietly,  "  although  possibly  I  might  have  to  wait  some  time 
before  the  order  was  cashed;  but  while  hunting  I  have  not 
come  upon  any  treasure.  We  have  occasionally,  when  halt- 
ing at  streams,  amused  ourselves  by  doing  a  little  gold-wash- 
ing, but  when  I  tell  you  that  during  the  eight  months  since 
we  started  from  Cuzco  we  have  only  collected  about  twenty 
ounces  of  gold,  you  may  well  suppose  that  no  good  fortune 
has  attended  us." 

"Is  that  all,  senor?" 

"I  give  you  my  word  of  honour  that  is  all,  senor;  and 
as  I  shall  have  to  lay  in  a  store  of  provisions  and  so  on  for 
my  journey  down  to  Lima,  you  may  well  imagine  that  it 
would  be  a  serious  inconvenience  to  me  to  part  with  it." 

"  Quite  so,  senor ;  so  small  a  sum  as  that  would  not  go 
far  among  the  four  thousand  men  under  my  command. 
However,  I  shall  have  pleasure  in  giving  you  the  pass  that 
you  ask.  You  have  had  good  sport,  I  hope  ?  " 

"  As  good  as  I  expected.  We  kept  ourselves  in  food,  and 
have  seen  a  splendid  country,  which  I  hope  some  time  will 
again  be  cultivated,  and  add  to  the  wealth  of  your  country." 

After  a  further  exchange  of  compliments  Harry  returned 
to  the  inn  where  they  had  put  up. 

Next  morning,  after  purchasing  some  coffee  and  other 
stores  that  were  needed,  they  set  out. 

"  Now  we  are  all  right,  Bias,"  Harry  said  as  they  started. 

"  I  hope  so,  senor ;  but  from  what  I  heard  yesterday  even- 
ing several  strong  bands  of  disaffected  soldiers  are  in  the  hills 
between  this  and  Oroya.  Quinda's  troops  have  by  no  means 
all  joined  him,  and  several  companies  that  broke  off  have 


192          THE  TEEASUEE  OF  THE  INCAS 

stationed  themselves  in  the  hills  along  this  road.  They  have 
stopped  and  robbed  more  than  one  mule  train  with  silver 
from  the  mines  there.  They  have  not  meddled,  as  far  as  I 
hear,  with  Quinda's  troops,  but  have  simply  seized  the  oppor- 
tunity of  perpetrating  brigandage  on  a  large  scale." 

"Well,  we  must  take  our  chance,  Bias.  Fortunately  we 
have  money  enough  at  Lima  to  replace  the  animals.  We 
have  pretty  well  finished  all  our  stores,  and  beyond  the  tents 
and  the  bedding,  which  would  be  a  matter  of  a  hundred  dol- 
lars, there  is  nothing  worth  thinking  of;  still,  certainly  I 
do  not  want  to  lose  it.  I  hope  we  sha'n't  fall  in  with  any 
of  those  scoundrels." 

"I  hope  not,  senor.  Perhaps  we  had  better  put  our  gold 
dust  and  money  in  Jose's  boots.  They  are  less  likely  to  ex- 
amine him  than  they  are  us. 

"  You  had  better  put  half  in  his  boots,  and  give  the  other 
half  to  my  wife  to  hide  about  her  clothes.  We  shall  want 
some  money,  if  we  are  robbed,  to  take  us  down  to  Lima. 
With  the  gold  dust  we  could  get  a  couple  of  mules  and 
enough  provisions  to  take  us  down  there.  We  should  be  in 
a  very  awkward  position  if  we  found  ourselves  penniless." 

They  stopped  for  the  night  at  a  little  village  close  to  the 
lake.  There  was  but  one  small  room  at  the  inn,  but  at  the 
other  end  of  the  straggling  village  there  was  a  yard  where  the 
mules  could  stand,  and  a  loft  where  Dias,  Maria,  and  Jose 
could  sleep. 

Harry  and  his  brother  had  lain  down  but  an  hour  on  their 
blankets  when  there  was  a  shouting  in  the  street,  and  two  or 
three  shots  were  fired.  They  leapt  up. 

"We  had  better  hide  our  rifles  and  pistols,"  Harry  said, 
"  under  that  ragged  bed  that  we  did  not  care  about  sleeping 
on.  We  may  possibly  get  them  again  even  if  we  are  robbed 
of  everything  else." 

A  minute  later  four  or  five  men  with  a  lantern  rushed 
Into  the  room.  They  were  all  armed  with  muskets,  and  one 
carried  a  torch. 


PRISONERS  193 

"  Who  are  you  ?  "  this  man  asked. 

"  We  are  English  sportsmen,"  Harry  said.  "  We  have 
been  shooting  for  some  months  at  the  foot  of  the  hills,  and 
are  now  returning  to  Lima.  There  are  our  guns,  you  see." 

"We  will  take  you  before  the  captain,"  the  man  said. 
"  Bring  those  guns  along,  Pedro  and  Juan." 

The  village  was  in  an  uproar.  Some  fifty  men  were  occu- 
pied in  searching  the  houses  and  in  appropriating  everything 
they  thought  useful.  One  house  had  been  set  on  fire,  and 
near  this  a  man  in  an  officer's  uniform  was  standing.  He 
heard  the  report  of  Harry's  and  Bertie's  capture. 

"  English  sportsmen,  eh !  How  long  have  you  been  shoot- 
ing ? "  he  asked. 

"Eight  months." 

"Eight  months!  Then  guard  them  securely,  Montes; 
they  are  doubtless  rich  Englishmen,  and  we  shall  get  a  good 
ransom  for  them.  English  senors  who  come  out  here  to 
shoot  must  be  men  with  plenty  of  money;  but  likely  enough 
they  are  not  sportsmen,  but  gold-seekers.  However,  it  mat- 
ters little." 

"  I  protest  against  this,"  Harry  said.  "  Our  consul  at 
Lima  will  demand  satisfaction  from  the  government." 

The  other  laughed. 

"  Government ! "  he  said,  "  there  is  no  government ;  and 
if  there  were,  they  would  have  no  power  up  in  the  hills." 

So  saying  he  turned  away. 

Plunder  that  had  been  collected  was  brought  in  and  divided 
among  the  party,  four  of  the  men  with  muskets  keeping 
guard  over  the  prisoners. 

"  I  don't  see  anything  of  Dias  and  the  mules,"  Bertie  said 
in  English. 

"  No,  I  have  been  expecting  to  see  them  brought  up  every 
minute.  Now  I  am  beginning  to  hope  that  they  have  got 
safely  off.  I  think  the  fellows  began  their  attack  at  our 
end  of  the  village. 

"  You  know  how  watchful  Dias  is.     Very  likely  he  or 


194  THE   TREASURE   OF   THE   IMXJAS 

Jose  were  up,  and  you  may  be  sure  that  the  moment  they 
heard  the  uproar  they  would  drive  the  mules  out  and  be  off* 
You  see  only  two  of  them  are  laden,  and  they  could  have 
thrown  the  things  on  to  their  backs  and  been  off  at  once. 
He  would  know  that  it  was  useless  to  wait  for  us.  I  expect 
he  would  turn  off  the  road  at  once  and  make  down  towards 
the  lake.  If  these  fellows  had  caught  him  and  the  mules 
they  would  certainly  have  brought  them  up  here  before 
this." 

"  I  hope  he  got  off — not  so  much  because  of  the  mules,  as 
because  I  am  sure  that,  if  he  gets  fairly  away,  he  will  do 
what  he  can  to  help  us." 

"I  am  sure  he  will,  Bertie.  We  must  make  the  best  of 
it.  There  is  one  thing,  we  have  got  a  good  month  before  us. 
It  will  take  them  all  that  time  to  go  down  to  Lima  about 
our  ransom  and  return ;  and  it  is  hard  if  we  don't  give  them 
the  slip  before  that." 

A  quarter  of  an  hour  later  the  band  started  with  their 
booty  and  prisoners  for  the  hills. 

u  I  don't  suppose  they  will  go  far,"  Harry  said.  "  Quinda 
has  got  his  hands  full,  and  will  be  wanting  to  start  as  soon  as 
he  can  to  join  Vivancohidas.  He  won't  lose  time  in  hunting 
the  scoundrel  who  has  caught  us,  so  I  expect  the  band  make 
their  head-quarters  in  some  village  at  the  foot  of  the  hills." 

This  turned  out  to  be  so.  After  a  march  of  four  hours 
the  band  halted  in  a  village  in  a  valley  running  up  into  the 
hills.  The  prisoners  were  thrust  into  an  empty  hut,  and 
four  men  with  muskets  told  off  as  their  guard.  Next  morn- 
ing the  captain  of  the  band  came  in. 

"  I  shall  require  a  hundred  thousand  dollars  for  your  ran- 
som," he  said. 

"  We  could  never  pay  such  a  sum,"  Harry  said.  "  We  are 
not  rich  men.  I  am  a  lieutenant  on  half-pay  in  the  English 
navy,  and,  having  nothing  to  do  at  home,  came  out  with  my 
brother  for  a  year's  sport.  I  could  not  pay  a  tenth  of  that 
sum." 


PRISONERS  195 


"  That  we  shall  see,"  the  man  said.  "  If  you  cannot  pay, 
your  government  can.  You  will  at  once  write  to  your  consul 
at  Lima,  telling  him  that  if  this  hundred  thousand  dollars 
are  not  handed  over  to  my  messenger  within  four  days  of 
his  arrival  there,  you  will  both  have  your  throats  cut." 

"  I  will  write  the  letter  if  you  wish,"  Harry  replied  quietly, 
"  but  you  won't  get  the  money.  If  you  like  to  say  ten  thou- 
sand dollars,  I  dare  say  the  consul  will  do  his  best  to  raise 
that  amount." 

"  One  hundred  thousand  is  the  smallest  sum,"  the  man 
said  angrily.  "  He  can  get  it  out  of  the  government  there. 
They  will  not  choose  to  risk  having  trouble  with  your  coun- 
try for  the  sake  of  such  a  sum." 

"  Gamarra  is  away,"  Harry  said,  "  and  it  is  pretty  certain 
that  he  will  not  have  left  a  hundred  thousand  dollars  in  the 
treasury ;  and  even  if  he  has,  you  may  be  sure  that  his  people 
there  would  not  give  it  up,  for  he  wants  every  penny  for 
his  war  expenses." 

The  man  shrugged  his  shoulders. 

"  So  much  the  worse  for  you.  Write  as  I  told  you ;  here 
is  paper,  pen,  and  ink.  Do  not  write  in  English.  I  will 
come  back  in  a  quarter  of  an  hour  for  it." 

"  This  is  awkward,  Bertie.  It  is  evident  that  I  must  write. 
As  to  their  paying  twenty  thousand  pounds,  the  thing  is 
absurd;  if  he  had  mentioned  two  thousand  they  might  have 
considered  the  matter.  What  I  hope  is  that  they  will  not 
send  up  anything.  I  feel  certain  that  we  shall  be  able  to 
get  away  from  here  within  a  month ;  and  if  they  were  to  send 
up  one  or  two  thousand  pounds,  we  should  probably  miss 
the  fellow  on  the  way.  In  that  case  we  should  have  to  repay 
the  money  when  we  got  to  Lima,  which  I  certainly  should 
not  see  my  way  to  do — anyhow,  until  I  got  to  England,  when 
I  could,  of  course,  sell  out  some  of  my  stock.  There  is  noth- 
ing here  that  we  could  use  as  invisible  ink.  If  there  were, 
I  would  risk  writing  a  message  with  it;  but  even  then  it  is 
fifty  to  one  against  their  bringing  it  to  light.  Well,  here 
goes !  "  and  he  wrote  in  Spanish  the  required  message. 


196          THE  TEEASUEE  OF  THE  INCAS 

The  robber  on  his  return  read  it  through,  turned  the  paper 
over  to  see  that  nothing  was  written  on  the  back,  and  held 
it  up  to  the  light. 

"  That  will  do,"  he  said.  "  Now  let  me  warn  you,  don't 
attempt  to  escape.  You  won't  succeed  if  you  do,  and  the 
sentries  have  orders  to  shoot  you  down  should  you  at- 
tempt it." 

The  time  passed  slowly.  The  brigand  was  evidently  de- 
termined to  give  them  no  chance  of  escaping,  and  four 
sentries  remained  round  the  hut,  one  at  each  corner.  In  the 
daytime  the  prisoners  were  allowed  to  sit  at  the  door  of  the 
hut,  but  they  were  shut  up  at  nightfall.  The  guards  were 
not  allowed  to  speak  to  them,  and  there  was  therefore  no 
chance  of  offering  them  a  bribe.  On  the  evening  of  the  fifth 
day  they  had,  as  usual,  been  shut  up,  and  were  chatting  over 
the  situation. 

"  If  they  continue  to  guard  us  like  this,  Bertie,  I  really 
don't  see  a  shadow  of  a  chance  of  getting  away.  We  cal- 
culated on  there  being  one,  or  perhaps  two  sentries  at  the 
door,  and  thought  we  could  have  cut  a  hole  through  that 
adobe  wall  at  the  back  and  crept  out  through  it ;  but  as  there 
is  a  guard  at  each  corner,  I  don't  see  a  chance  of  it.  The  fel- 
lows are  evidently  afraid  of  their  captain,  and  each  keeps 
to  his  corner,  and  sits  there  and  smokes  and  drones  out  songs, 
but  they  never  move  till  they  are  relieved.  Of  course  we 
must  make  the  attempt  if  we  see  no  other  way  of  escaping. 
But  I  have  still  great  hope  that  Dias  will  somehow  or  other 
try  to  get  us  out,  though  how  he  can  do  it  I  don't  know." 

They  observed  that  the  sentries  were  not  changed  in  any 
military  way.  Five  minutes  before  sunset  the  four  men  who 
were  to  relieve  those  on  guard  came  sauntering  up.  The 
former  guard  ordered  the  captives  into  the  hut  and  bolted 
the  door,  and  then  after  a  short  chat  with  the  others  went  off, 
the  new  sentries  having  already  taken  their  posts  at  the  cor- 
ners of  the  hut.  On  the  fifth  evening  after  their  capture 
they  saw  approaching  a  peasant  woman  sitting  on  a  mule. 


THEY     SAW     APPROACHING     A     PEASANT     WOMAN     SITTING     ON     A 
MULE 


PRISONERS  197 

rA  man  was  walking  beside  her.  Behind  the  woman  was  a 
small  barrel,  and  two  packs  and  two  small  wine-skins  hung 
on  each  side. 

"Harry,"  Bertie  exclaimed,  "I  believe  that  is  Dias  and 
Maria!" 

"  It  is,"  Harry  said.  "  Thank  God  they  have  found  us  1 
Twenty  to  one  they  will  get  us  out.  What  have  they  got 
with  them,  I  wonder  ?  " 

They  stopped  in  the  road  opposite  the  house,  which  wa& 
the  end  one  in  the  village. 

"  You  are  not  to  come  nearer,"  one  of  the  sentries  shouted- 

"  I  am  sure  I  don't  want  to  come  nearer,"  the  woman  said 
pertly.  "  You  don't  think  you  are  so  handsome  that  I  want 
to  get  a  better  sight  of  your  face  ? " 

"  What  have  you  got  there  ?  "  the  man  asked.  "  We  shall 
be  coming  off  duty  in  ten  minutes." 

"  Well,  we  have  got  a  little  of  everything,"  she  said.  "  As 
pretty  sashes  as  there  are  in  the  country,  beautiful  silk 
neckerchiefs,  silver  brooches  for  your  sweethearts,  and  for 
those  who  purchase  freely  a  glass  of  the  best  pisco  spirit." 

"Well,  wait,  and  I  dare  say  we  shall  lay  out  a  dollar  or 
two." 

A  minute  or  two  later  four  other  men  sauntered  up,  and 
began  to  talk  to  Maria,  who  slipped  off  her  mule.  The 
guards,  fearful  that  the  best  bargains  would  be  sold  before 
they  could  get  forward,  hurried  the  prisoners  into  the  hut 
and  bolted  the  door.  The  brothers  heard  a  great  deal  of 
talking  and  arguing,  and  ten  minutes  later  the  sentries  came 
up  to  their  usual  post. 

"  I  would  not  mind  betting  odds,"  Bertie  said  with  delight, 
"  that  Dias  has  drugged  that  spirit." 

"I  expect  so,  Bertie.  He  would  be  sure  that  they  could 
not  resist  it,  for  it  is  the  best  spirit  there  is  in  Peru." 

For  a  time  the  sentries  talked,  saying  that  the  pedlars' 
goods  were  cheap  and  the  spirit  as  good  as  any  they  had  ever 
tasted.  "  We  had  great  difficulty  in  getting  her  to  sell  us 


198  THE  TBEASTTRE  OF  THE  INC  AS 

a  second  glass  each ;  and  she  was  right,  for  she  had  not  muchi 
of  it,  and  it  must  help  her  rarely  to  sell  her  goods.  The 
husband  seemed  a  surly  sort  of  chap.  I  wonder  such  a  pretty 
little  woman  would  marry  such  a  fellow." 

"  I  suppose  he  was  well-to-do  and  she  was  poor,"  another 
said ;  "  such  is  generally  the  case  when  you  see  a  marriage 
like  that.  I  dare  say  he  makes  a  good  thing  of  it ;  the  goods 
are  as  cheap,  though,  as  they  would  be  in  Lima." 

Gradually  the  talking  ceased,  and  within  an  hour  there  was 
perfect  quiet  outside  the  hut.  Half  an  hour  later  they  heard 
footsteps  coming  quietly  up  to  the  door.  They  held  their 
breath;  but  instead  of,  as  they  expected,  hearing  the  bolt 
drawn,  they  heard  the  new-comers  going  round  the  hut, 
pausing  a  minute  at  each  corner.  Then  they  again  stopped 
at  the  door;  the  two  bolts  were  shot  back,  and  the  door 
opened. 

"Come,  senors,"  Dias  said;  "it  is  quite  safe.  We  have 
put  them  all  to  sleep.  Here  are  their  muskets  and  pistols. 
You  had  better  take  them,  in  case  we  are  pursued,  which  is 
not  likely.  At  any  rate,  should  one  of  them  wake  the  want 
of  a  gun  will  mean  delay  in  raising  the  alarm. 

"Don't  speak,  senors;  it  is  as  well  to  keep  quiet  till  we 
are  fairly  off."  He  shut  the  door  and  rebolted  it,  and  then 
led  the  way  down  into  the  road. 

Not  a  word  was  spoken  till  they  had  gone  a  hundred  yards, 
and  then  Harry  said :  "  You  have  done  us  another  good  turn, 
Dias;  we  did  not  see  any  possible  way  of  getting  out;  but 
we  both  agreed  that  if  you  could  find  us  you  would." 

"  Of  course,  senors,  you  could  not  suppose  that  Maria  and 
I  would  go  quietly  off." 

"  How  did  you  manage  to  get  away,  Dias  ? " 

"It  was  easy  enough.  After  what  we  had  heard  of  these 
brigands  I  made  up  my  mind  that  I  would  not  unsaddle  the 
mules,  nor  take  the  packs  off  the  two  loaded  ones.  The  bur- 
dens were  not  heavy,  for  we  have  little  but  our  bedding  and 
the  tents  left,  and  I  thought  they  might  as  well  stay  where 


PKISONEES  199 

they  were,  and  in  the  morning  we  could  shift  them  on  to 
the  others.  I  told  Jose  to  watch  about  half  the  night;  but 
I  was  standing  talking  to  him,  and  smoking  my  last  cigarette, 
when  he  said  suddenly,  '  I  can  hear  a  noise  at  the  other  end 
of  the  village.' 

"The  evening  was  still,  and  I  could  also  hear  the  sound 
of  many  footsteps,  so  I  ran  and  pulled  down  the  bar  at  the 
back  of  the  yard,  called  Maria,  and  told  her  and  Jose  to  take 
the  mules  straight  down  to  the  lake,  and  then  to  follow  the 
bank.  Then  I  ran  to  warn  you;  but  before  I  got  half-way 
I  heard  shouts  and  firing,  and  knew  that  I  was  too  late,  so 
I  ran  back  to  the  lake,  where  I  overtook  the  mules,  and  we 
mounted  and  went  off  at  a  trot.  When  I  got  a  quarter  of  a 
mile  away  I  told  the  others  to  go  on  to  Junin,  which  we  knew 
was  twenty  miles  away,  and  put  up  there  till  I  joined  them. 
Then  I  ran  back  to  the  village,  and,  keeping  myself  well  be- 
hind a  house,  watched  them  getting  ready  to  start,  and  saw 
you.  There  was  nothing  to  do  but  to  follow  you.  I  did  so, 
and  observed  where  they  had  shut  you  up,  and  I  waited  about 
for  some  hours,  so  as  to  see  how  you  were  guarded. 

"I  saw  their  captain  go  into  your  hut  twice.  When  he 
came  out  the  second  time  he  had  a  paper  in  his  hand.  He 
went  to  the  house  he  has  taken  possession  of,  and  I  kept  a 
good  watch  over  that.  Presently  two  lieutenants  came  out, 
talking  together.  They  entered  another  house,  and  ten  min- 
utes afterwards  issued  out  again,  dressed  in  ordinary  clothes, 
such  as  a  muleteer  or  a  cultivator  fairly  well  off  would  wear, 
and  returned  to  the  captain's  house,  and  stayed  there  for  a 
good  half-hour  before  they  came  out  again.  Two  horses  had 
been  brought  round  to  the  door.  The  captain  came  out  with 
them,  and  was  evidently  giving  them  some  last  instructions. 
Then  they  rode  off,  saying  good-bye  to  some  of  the  men  as 
they  passed  through  the  village. 

"  Knowing  the  ways  of  these  bandits,  I  had  no  doubt  the 
paper  I  saw  their  captain  bring  out  of  the  hut  where  you 
were  was  a  letter  he  had  compelled  you  to  write  to  request 


200          THE  TBEASUEE  OF  THE  INCAS 

a  large  sum  of  money  to  be  sent  in  exchange  for  you ;  and  as 
I  felt  certain  that  we  should  rescue  you  somehow,  I  thought 
it  was  a  pity  that  this  letter  should  go  down,  so  I  started 
at  once  to  follow  them.  They  had  not  got  more  than  a 
quarter  of  an  hour's  start  of  me,  and  by  the  line  they  had 
taken  I  saw  that  they  intended  to  go  to  Junin.  I  did  not 
think  it  likely  that  they  would  enter  the  place,  because  they 
would  be  sure  to  meet  some  of  Quinda's  men  there ;  but  would 
probably  sleep  at  some'  small  village  near  it,  and  then  make 
a  circuit  to  strike  the  road  beyond  the  town. 

"  Fortunately  I  had  some  money  in  my  pocket,  and  at  the 
first  farm  I  came  to  I  bought  a  mule.  You  see,  senor,  I  had 
not  lain  down  the  night  before,  and  had  done  a  fair  day's 
work  before  I  started  to  follow  your  captors.  I  had  walked 
twenty  miles  with  them,  and  had  been  busy  all  the  morning. 
I  knew  it  could  not  be  much  less  than  thirty  miles  to  Junin, 
and  that  if  I  could  not  find  them  there  I  should  have  to  push 
on  after  them  again  the  next  morning,  so  I  gave  the  farmer 
what  he  asked  for  his  mule,  and  started  at  once  on  it  bare- 
backed. It  turned  out  to  be  a  good  animal,  and  I  rode  hard, 
for  I  wanted  to  get  down  to  Junin  before  the  two  men.  I 
reckoned  I  should  do  tkat,  because,  as  they  were  going  a 
very  long  journey,  they  would  not  want  to  press  their  horses, 
and  besides  would  prefer  that  it  should  be  dark  before  they 
stopped  for  the  night. 

"  When  I  got  to  Junin  I  found  Maria  and  Jose,  who  had 
put  up  the  mules  at  the  only  inn  there.  I  set  Maria  to  watch 
on  the  road  leading  into  the  town,  and  went  out  with  Jose 
to  a  little  village  a  mile  back,  where  I  made  sure  the  fellows 
would  stop.  I  was  not  long  in  finding  out  that  they  had 
arrived  about  half  an  hour  after  I  had  ridden  through,  and 
had  put  up  at  the  priest's.  That  was  good  enough  for  me. 
We  went  back  to  the  town.  I  had  some  supper,  which  I  can 
tell  you  I  wanted  badly,  for  I  had  been  afraid  of  going  into 
the  brigand's  village  to  buy  anything,  as,  being  a  stranger, 
I  might  have  been  asked  questions,  so  I  had  had  nothing: 


PRISONERS  201 

since  the  night  before.  I  had  found  that  there  was  a  road 
from  the  place  where  they  had  stopped,  by  which  they  could 
ride  along  by  the  lake  without  going  into  the  town;  so  Jose 
and  I  ambushed  there  an  hour  before  daylight,  thinking  that 
they  would  be  off  early.  We  were  right;  for  in  a  quarter 
of  an  hour  they  came  along.  Day  was  just  breaking,  so  we 
could  make  out  their  figures  easily  enough,  and  as  they  were 
not  five  yards  away  as  they  passed,  we  were  not  likely  to  miss 
them.  Well,  I  found  the  paper  you  had  written  in  the  coat- 
pocket  of  one  of  them,  together  with  two  hundred  dollars, 
no  doubt  for  the  expenses  of  his  journey.  We  hid  the  two 
bodies  under  a  heap  of  stones." 

"  Then  you  killed  them,  Bias  ? "  Harry  said,  in  a  tone  of 
surprise. 

"  Of  course !  what  else  would  one  do  with  them  ?  They 
were  brigands,  and  they  had  attacked  a  peaceable  village  and 
killed  several  people.  Even  if  I  had  not  wanted  to  get  your 
paper  it  would  have  been  a  very  meritorious  action." 

"  Oh,  I  am  not  blaming  you,  Dias,  at  all !  There  was  no 
other  way  of  getting  the  paper,  and  it  may  be  regarded  as  an 
act  of  necessity.  And  what  did  you  do  with  their  horses  ?  " 

"  Jose  went  on  with  them,  and  I  returned  to  the  town  again 
and  started  with  Maria  and  the  mules.  We  journeyed  to 
a  village  half-way  to  Oroya.  Of  course  we  overtook  Jose  a 
mile  or  two  after  we  had  left  Junin.  There  we  put  up  at  a 
quiet  place  and  talked  over  the  situation.  We  knew  that 
there  was  no  particular  hurry,  for  we  read  your  letter,  and 
knew  that  no  harm  would  come  to  you  for  a  long  time.  It 
would  be  a  month  at  least  before  they  would  expect  the  men 
back  with  the  money.  There  was  another  letter,  addressed 
to  Don  Mariano  Carratala,  whom  I  know  to  be  a  busy  poli- 
tician in  Lima.  The  money  was  to  be  paid  to  him;  at  least 
he  was  to  receive  it  from  the  two  men  immediately  they  left 
the  British  consul's  house,  and  he  was  to  hold  it  for  Valdez, 
which  is  the  name  of  the  brigand." 

"  I  thought  he  would  not  trust  the  men  to  bring  up  a  sum 
like  that." 


202          THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  INCAS 

"  It  would  be  enough  to  tempt  the  most  incorruptible  Peru- 
vian, and  certainly  the  men  he  sent  down  would  have  taken 
good  care  never  to  come  to  this  part  of  the  country  again  if 
they  had  got  the  money  into  their  possession.  I  don't 
think  either  it  would  have  been  safe  in  the  hands  of  Carra- 
tala,  if  he  did  not  know  that  sooner  or  later  he  would  get  a 
knife  between  his  shoulders  if  he  kept  it.  Next  morning 
Maria  and  I  started  back,  bringing  with  us  four  mules,  the 
fastest  we  had.  We  rode  on  two  and  led  the  others.  I  knew 
some  people  at  Junin,  for  I  have  often  passed  through  the 
town  when  I  have  been  bringing  down  silver  from  Cerro, 
and  one  managed  to  get  for  us  that  little  barrel  of  pisco. 
I  was  sure  that  no  soldier  would  refuse  a  glass;  but  it  was 
almost  a  sin  to  give  such  liquor  to  the  dogs.  Then  we  bought 
peasants'  clothes,  and  a  parcel  of  goods  such  as  travelling 
hawkers  carry. 

"  You  know  how  we  succeeded.  Of  course  we  had  drugged 
the  pisco  heavily,  and  knew  that  two  glasses  would  send  any 
man  off  to  sleep  in  half  an  hour.  As  soon  as  it  was  dark, 
Maria  went  on  with  the  mule.  We  shall  find  her  half  a  mile 
from  here  at  a  deserted  hut  where  we  left  the  other  three 
mules." 

"  Well,  Dias,  you  have  assuredly  saved  our  lives.  Guarded 
as  we  were,  there  was  not  the  slightest  chance  of  our  getting 
away  by  ourselves;  and  as  the  British  consul  certainly  could 
not  have  raised  the  sum  they  demanded,  we  should  have  had 
our  throats  cut  when  the  messengers  returned  empty-handed. 
Valdez  is  not  the  man  to  go  back  from  his  word  in  that 
respect." 

"  It  is  a  pity  you  have  lost  your  arms,  senor." 

"Yes,  we  have  certainly  lost  our  double-barrelled  guns, 
but  our  rifles  and  pistols  are  hidden  in  the  straw  of  the  bed 
in  the  room  where  we  slept.  We  had  just  time  to  hide  them 
before  the  brigands  burst  into  the  room." 

"  Then  we  can  recover  them,  senor.  Of  course  I  intended 
to  ride  straight  to  Junin,  but  it  won't  make  very  much  differ- 


PRISONERS  20$ 

ence.  We  will  ride  to  the  village,  get  the  rifles  and  pistols, 
and  then  follow  ifhe  road  by  the  lake.  It  is  now  only  nine 
o'clock;  we  can  be  there  by  one  easily,  and  reach  Junin  by 
morning.  It  will  be  perfectly  safe  to  rest  there.  I  suppose 
your  guards  will  be  relieved  about  twelve  o'clock  ? " 

"Yes,  that  was  the  time  we  heard  them  changed." 

"  They  will  most  likely  discover  that  you  have  gone  then. 
When  they  find  the  four  guards  sound  asleep,  they  are  sure 
to  unbolt  the  door  and  see  if  you  are  there,  then  of  course 
they  will  give  the  alarm  at  once.  But  I  hardly  think  they 
will  even  attempt  to  pursue.  They  are  infantry,  and  none 
of  them  are  mounted  but  the  officers,  which  means  that  at 
present  only  Valdez  himself  has  a  horse.  They  would  know 
that  you  had  been  assisted,  and  that  probably  horses  were 
waiting  for  you  somewhere.  There  is  the  hut,  senors." 

Maria  ran  out  as  they  came  up. 

"  The  saints  be  praised,"  she  exclaimed,  "  that  you  are  with 
us  again,  senors !  " 

"  The  saints  are  no  doubt  to  be  praised,"  Harry  said,  "  but 
we  feel  at  present  a  good  deal  more  indebted  to  Bias  and 
yourself  than  to  them.  We  are  indeed  grateful  to  you  both, 
and  you  managed  it  splendidly.  My  brother  and  I  felt  so 
confident  that  you  would  do  something  to  get  us  out,  that 
we  were  not  in  the  least  surprised  when  we  recognized  you 
and  Diaz  got  up  as  travelling  hawkers." 

"  You  did  not  tell  them  that  we  were  with  you  ?  " 

"No.  Fortunately  they  asked  no  questions  at  all,  and 
took  us  for  Englishmen  travelling  by  ourselves.  They  may 
have  thought  of  it  afterwards,  but  in  the  hurry  of  carrying 
off  their  booty  they  apparently  gave  the  matter  no  attention. 
If  they  had  done  so  they  would  probably  have  sent  a  party 
out  in  pursuit  of  the  mules.  Even  if  they  had  not  done  so, 
they  would  have  been  sure  to  look  with  some  suspicion  at  two 
hawkers  arriving  at  such  an  out-of-the-way  village  at  such 
a  time." 

"  Well,  we  had  better  be  moving  at  once,"  Dias  said.    "  We 


204:  THE  TREASURE   OF  THE  INCAS 

are  going  down  to  the  village  where  they  were  captured, 
Maria.  They  hid  their  rifles  and  pistols  there  when  they 
found  the  place  was  in  the  hands  of  the  brigands." 

Three  minutes  later  they  started.  There  was  a  full  moon, 
so  they  were  able  to  ride  fast,  and  it  was  just  midnight  when 
they  arrived  at  the  village.  When  they  knocked  at  the  house 
where  their  rifles  had  been  left,  the  proprietor  looked  out 
from  the  upper  window  in  great  dismay,  fearing  that  the 
brigands  might  have  returned.  However,  as  soon  as  he  rec- 
ognized the  party  he  came  down  and  opened  the  door.  The 
arms  were  found  where  they  had  been  hidden,  and  in  five 
minutes  they  were  again  on  their  way,  and  arrived  at  Junin 
at  five  o'clock.  It  was  necessary  to  wait  here  twenty-four 
hours  to  rest  the  animals.  The  next  morning  they  started 
as  soon  as  it  was  light,  and  picked  up  Jose  and  the  convoy. 
The  brothers  mounted  the  two  horses,  and  Dias  and  Maria 
rode  on  one  mule,  and  led  three  behind  them.  Jose  rode  an- 
other and  led  four.  The  horses  and  the  mule  Dias  had 
bought  were  sold  at  Oroya,  and  after  purchasing  enough  pro- 
visions for  the  rest  of  their  journey  they  started  for  Lima, 
having  concluded  that  it  would  be  better,  now  that  they  were 
on  the  main  track,  to  follow  it  instead  of  striking  across  the 
hills.  

CHAPTER  XIII 

LETTERS  FROM   HOME 

THEEE  was  some  little  discussion  over  the  amount  of 
supplies  that  it  would  be  necessary  to  purchase. 
"Travelling  quietly,  the   journey  will  not   occupy   over 
fourteen  days,"  Harry  said.     "  Do  not  get  anything  more 
than  is  absolutely  necessary.    It  is  evident  that  the  whole 
country  is  in  a  disturbed  state,  and  it  is  as  well  to  have  noth- 
ing to  lose.    We  can  buy  nearly  everything  we  want  in  the 
way  of  meat  and  flour  at  villages  we  pass  through.    There- 


LETTERS  FROM  HOME  205 

fore,  if  we  have  enough  tea,  coffee,  and  sugar  there  will  be 
really  no  occasion  to  buy  anything  more.  We  have  still  two 
or  three  bottles  of  spirits  left,  and  you  can  buy  pulque  every- 
where. There  is  a  proverb  two  or  three  thousand  years  old, 
'  The  empty  traveller  can  sing  before  the  robber.'  We  are 
reduced  to  that  condition,  except  for  our  tents,  bedding,  and 
blankets,  and  they  have  done  good  service  and  would  not  cost 
much  to  replace.  There  remain,  then,  only  the  animals. 
They  would  certainly  be  a  serious  loss  to  us." 

"  Brigands  would  not  want  to  take  them.  They  would  not 
be  of  the  least  use  to  them  in  the  mountains.  I  would  not 
say  the  same  of  parties  of  disbanded  soldiers  making  their 
way  down  to  Lima  or  Callao,  who  might  prefer  riding  to 
travelling  all  that  distance." 

"  The  brigands  might  take  our  rifles  and  pistols,  Dias." 

"  Yes,  they  would  be  sure  to  do  that,  senor.  But  we  have 
had  more  than  our  share  of  bad  luck  already,  what  with  the 
brigands  in  the  Cerro  pass,  and  these  rascals  we  have  just 
had  to  do  with.  I  will  enquire  when  the  last  silver  convoy 
went  down.  If  one  has  gone  during  the  past  five  or  six  days, 
we  could  overtake  it  soon,  for  we  can  do  two  days'  journey 
to  its  one.  If  no  convoy  has  gone  forward  later,  and  there 
is  one  starting  shortly,  it  might  be  worth  our  while  to  wait 
for  it,  for  by  all  accounts  the  road  down  to  Lima  is  infested 
by  discharged  soldiers,  and  ruffians  of  all  kinds  from  Callao 
and  Lima." 

"  Have  the  convoys  an  escort  ?  " 

"  Yes,  senors.  The  silver  mines  have  always  a  considera- 
ble force  in  their  pay.  They  used  to  have  troops  from  the 
division  stationed  here,  but  what  with  the  constant  revolu- 
tions, and  the  fact  that  more  than  once  the  escort,  instead 
of  protecting  the  convoys,  mutinied  and  seized  them,  they 
found  it  better  to  raise  a  force  themselves.  They  do  not 
take  Creoles,  preferring  pure-bred  Indians,  who  are  just  as 
brave  as  the  Creoles,  if  not  braver,  and  can  be  relied  upon 
to  be  faithful  to  their  trust.  The  consequence  is  that,  in 


206          THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  INCAS 

spite  of  the  disturbed  state  of  the  country,  it  is  a  long  time 
now  since  one  of  their  escorts  has  been  attacked,  especially 
as  the  robbers  would  find  great  difficulty  in  disposing  of  the 
silver,  as  each  ingot  is  marked  with  the  name  of  the  mine 
it  comes  from. 

"  They  might,  of  course,  melt  it  up  again ;  but  even  then 
there  would  be  a  difficulty,  as  the  law  is  very  strict  as  to  the 
Bale  of  silver,  and  a  certificate  has  to  be  obtained  from  the 
local  authorities  in  every  case,  stating  where  it  was  obtained. 
This  is  hard  upon  the  natives,  for  many  of  the  little  mines 
are  worked  among  the  mountains,  and  the  rascals,  to  whom 
all  official  positions  are  given  in  reward  for  services  done 
to  the  party  which  happens  to  be  in  power  for  the  time,  take 
good  care  to  fleece  the  Indians  heavily  before  they  will  give 
them  the  necessary  documents.  Nothing  can  be  done  here, 
senors,  without  greasing  the  palms  of  two  or  three  people, 
and  the  grease  has  to  be  pretty  heavily  laid  on." 

Dias  went  out  and  made  enquiries.  "  There  will  be  no 
convoy  for  another  fortnight.  One  went  down  ten  days 
ago." 

"  I  certainly  shall  not  wait  another  fortnight,  Dias.  As 
to  an  escort,  less  than  a  dozen  men  would  be  useless,  and 
as  they  would  be  a  fortnight  at  least  going  down,  and  as 
much  returning,  even  if  you  could  get  twelve  men  who  could 
be  relied  upon,  it  would  be  a  very  expensive  job.  We  might 
as  well  risk  losing  our  baggage,  and  even  our  guns.  The 
great  thing  will  be  to  reduce  the  weight  as  much  as  possible. 
Four  cotton  beds  take  up  a  lot  of  space,  and  I  think  in  any 
case  I  should  have  bought  new  ones  at  Lima;  at  any  rate 
they  can  go.  The  blankets  and  ponchos  we  could,  of  course, 
carry  behind  us.  So  that  practically  there  are  only  the  two 
tents,  cooking  utensils,  and  the  stores,  which  will  not  weigh 
many  pounds,  to  carry,  and  with  our  clothes  the  whole  will 
make  a  ridiculously  small  load  even  for  one  mule.  We  had 
better  get  rid  of  the  pick-axes  and  shovels,  they  would  fetch 
pretty  nearly  as  much  here  as  we  should  give  for  new  ones 
at  Lima. 


LETTERS  FROM  HOME  207 

"Thus,  then,  with  Donna  Maria  riding  one  of  the  mules, 
there  would  be  our  five  selves  and  three  led  mules,  of  which 
only  one  would  be  laden.  That  would  offer  no  great  temp- 
tation to  plunderers;  and  as  we  shall  all  have  guns  across 
our  shoulders,  they  would  see  that  it  would  not  be  worth 
while  to  interfere  on  the  very  slight  chance  that  the  one 
laden  mule  might  be  carrying  anything  valuable." 

"  I  agree  with  you,  senor.  Our  appearance  would  be  that 
of  a  party  of  travellers  who  have  been  exploring  the  old 
ruins,  or,  as  has  been  done  before,  endeavouring  to  ascertain 
whether  the  rivers  on  the  east  are  navigable  down  to  the 
Amazon.  Besides,  the  bulk  of  the  people  here  do  not  forget 
what  they  owe  to  Englishmen,  and  the  fact  that  you  are  of 
that  nation  would  in  itself  secure  good  treatment  for  you 
among  all  except  desperate  men." 

Accordingly  they  started  the  next  morning.  Maria  rode, 
in  Amazon  fashion,  on  a  mule  between  her  husband  and 
Harry.  Bertie  followed  with  Jose,  to  whose  saddle  the  three 
baggage  mules  were  attached  in  single  file.  They  were  un- 
disturbed on  their  journey.  Three  or  four  times  they  were 
hailed  by  men  on  the  rocks  above  as  they  went  through  diffi- 
cult points  of  the  pass.  The  reply  of  Dias,  that  the  two 
gentlemen  with  him  were  Englishmen  who  had  been  explor- 
ing the  ruins  and  doing  a  little  shooting  among  the  hills, 
generally  satisfied  them.  One  or  two,  however,  who  enquired 
what  the  mule  was  carrying,  were  invited  by  him  to  come 
down  and  see,  though  at  the  same  time  they  were  informed 
that  the  load  contained  nothing  but  blankets  and  cooking 
vessels,  and  enough  provisions  to  last  them  on  the  way. 

When,  within  two  days'  journey  from  Lima,  a  party  of 
rough  men  came  down  into  the  road,  Dias  rode  forward  to 
meet  them  and  repeated  his  usual  story.  "  You  can  examine 
the  mule  if  you  like,"  he  said,  "  but  I  warn  you  not  to  inter- 
fere with  us ;  the  English  senors  are  not  men  to  be  meddled 
with.  They  are  armed  with  rifles,  and  each  carries  a  brace 
of  double-barrelled  pistols.  They  are  dead  shots,  too,  and 


208          THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  INCAS 

you  may  reckon  that  it  will  cost  you  over  a  dozen  lives  were 
you  to  interfere  with  them.  Moreover,  the  other  muleteer 
and  myself  could  give  a  fair  account  of  ourselves.  Rather 
than  have  trouble,  however,  two  of  you  can  come  forward 
and  see  that  my  statement  as  to  what  the  mule  carries  is 
correct.  Its  burden  would  not  fetch  fifty  dollars  at  Lima." 

Two  of  the  men  came  forward  and  examined  the  mule's 
burden,  and  felt  the  saddles  of  the  others  to  see  that  nothing 
was  concealed  there.  When  they  rejoined  their  party  one 
who  appeared  to  be  their  leader  came  forward. 

"  Senors,"  he  said,  "  I  regret  that  we  have  stopped  you ; 
but  we  are  poor  men,  and  are  obliged  to  take  to  the  road 
to  live.  Perhaps  your  honours  would  not  mind  giving  us 
ten  dollars  to  buy  food  at  the  next  village." 

"I  have  not  many  dollars  left,"  Harry  said,  "but  if  you 
really  need  food  you  are  welcome  to  ten  of  them,  for  we 
shall  need  nothing  more  than  what  we  carry  till  we  arrive 
at  Lima."  He  handed  him  the  ten  dollars,  and  then,  show- 
ing him  his  purse,  said,  "  You  see  there  are  but  five  others." 

With  many  thanks  the  man  retired,  and  he  and  his  com- 
panions took  off  their  hats  as  Harry  and  his  party  rode 
through  them. 

"  Another  such  stoppage,"  Harry  said  with  a  laugh,  "  and 
we  shall  have  to  fall  back  upon  our  little  stock  of  gold-dust." 

However,  they  met  with  no  more  trouble,  and  on  the  fol- 
lowing evening  rode  into  Lima  and  took  up  their  quarters 
at  the  hotel.  Dias  asked  that  he  might  go  on  with  the  mules 
to  his  home. 

"In  the  first  place,  senor,  we  want  to  know  how  things 
have  gone  on  in  our  absence.  We  had  arranged  with  neigh- 
bours to  look  after  the  garden  and  the  house.  They  were 
glad  to  do  so,  as  the  garden  was  a  fruitful  one.  They  were 
to  take  all  they  could  raise  and  keep  it  well  planted,  so  that 
whenever  we  might  return  we  should  find  our  usual  supply 
of  fruits  and  vegetables.  In  the  next  place,  Maria  is  nervous 
about  my  staying  here  after  what  happened  last  time.  \Ve 


LETTERS  FROM  HOME  209 

may  take  it  as  certain  that  the  friends  of  the  men  we  hurt 
will  take  the  chance  of  paying  off  the  score  if  they  can  find 
an  opportunity.  I  shall  come  in  each  day  to  see  if  you  have 
any  orders  for  me." 

"  There  will  be  no  occasion  for  that,  Bias.  We  have  quite 
made  up  our  minds  to  wait  here  for  a  week  before  starting 
on  our  next  expedition,  so  if  you  will  come  over  in  four  days 
that  will  be  quite  soon  enough.  You  can  overhaul  the  blank- 
ets and  bags,  and  see  that  those  good  enough  to  keep  are  put 
in  good  repair,  and  those  worn  out  replaced.  We  shall  want 
quite  as  many  stores  as  those  we  took  last  time,  for  there 
are  very  few  villages  except  on  the  sea-shore,  and  we  shall 
find  difficulty  in  replenishing  our  stock.  We  shall  have  to 
buy  double-barreled  guns  in  place  of  those  we  lost,  but  that 
we  shall  do  ourselves.  We  have  plenty  of  ammunition  and 
cartridges  for  the  rifles  and  pistols,  but  we  had  only  a  few 
shot  cartridges  left  when  we  lost  the  guns." 

As  soon  as  Dias  had  gone  on  with  the  mules  Harry  went 
to  the  British  consul's  and  found  three  letters  waiting  there 
for  him,  two  from  Miss  Fortescue  and  one  from  Mr.  Barnett, 
He  put  the  former  into  his  pocket  to  be  read  and  enjoyed 
privately,  but  opened  that  of  Mr.  Barnett  at  once.  It  was 
in  answer  to  that  Harry  had  written  at  Cuzco. 

"  My  dear  Harry,"  he  said, 

"  Your  first  letter  was  quite  satisfactory. 
I  was  glad  to  find  that  you  had  reached  Lima  without  en- 
countering more  than  a  stiffish  gale,  which  was  as  well  as 
you  could  have  expected.  I  was  still  more  glad  that  you 
had  found  Dias  alive  and  willing  to  accompany  you.  Your 
letter  from  Cuzco  has  now  reached  me.  I  think  you  were 
extremely  lucky  to  get  through  that  street  broil  without  any 
damage  to  either  of  you.  It  was  certainly  a  hazardous  busi- 
ness to  interfere  in  an  affair  of  that  kind  without  having 
any  weapons  except  the  sticks  you  carried.  Still,  I  can  well 
understand  that,  as  you  would  certainly  have  lost  the  services 


210  THE  TREASUEE  OF  THE  INCAS 

of  Dias  had  you  not  done  so,  it  was  worth  running  a  good 
deal  of  risk;  and,  as  you  say,  it  had  the  natural  effect  of 
binding  him  to  you  heart  and  soul. 

"  I  feel  very  uneasy  about  you  both,  and  have  blamed  my- 
self many  a  time  for  suggesting  this  scheme  to  you.  I  can 
only  say  that  it  is  really  the  only  possible  way  in  which  it 
seemed  to  me  you  could  carry  out  the  task  set  you.  In  fairy 
stories  it  is,  so  far  as  I  can  remember,  a  not  uncommon  thing 
for  a  king  to  set  some  task,  that  appears  absolutely  hopeless, 
to  the  suitors  for  his  daughter's  hand,  and  the  hero  always 
accomplishes  the  impossible.  But  this  is  always  done  with 
the  assistance  of  some  good  fairy,  and  unfortunately  good 
fairies  are  not  to  be  met  with  in  the  present  day.  I  have 
great  faith  in  Dias,  but  fear  that  he  is  a  very  poor  substitute 
for  a  fairy  godmother.  Still,  I  am  convinced  that  he  will  do 
all  in  his  power,  and  will  even  strain  his  conscience  severely, 
by  conducting  you  to  places  where  his  traditions  lead  him  to 
believe  that  gold,  either  in  the  shape  of  mines  or  hidden 
treasure,  is  to  be  found. 

"Your  search  will  not  improbably  lead  you  into  places 
where  the  Indians  have  won  back  their  own  from  the  civili- 
zation introduced  by  the  Spaniards,  and  I  have  always  heard 
that  on  the  eastern  side  of  the  Cordilleras  the  natives  enter- 
tain a  deadly  hatred  for  whites,  and  attack  all  who  endeavour 
to  penetrate  into  the  forest.  Don't  be  too  rash,  lad.  Re- 
member that  it  will  not  add  to  your  lady-love's  happiness  to 
learn  that  you  have  been  massacred  in  your  attempt  to  carry 
out  your  knight-errant  adventure,  and  if  you  are  careless 
about  your  own  life,  don't  forget  that  its  loss  will  probably 
entail  the  loss  of  your  brother's  also.  Dangers,  of  course, 
you  must  meet  and  face,  but  remember  that  prudence  is  a 
valuable  aid  to  bravery. 

"  I  am  glad  to  know  that  Dias  has  taken  his  wife  with 
him.  A  woman  is  a  very  useful  adjunct  to  an  expedition 
such  as  yours.  Of  course  in  some  ways  she  is  necessarily  a 
trouble,  and  always  a  responsibility.  Still,  if,  as  you  say 


LETTEES   FEOM  HOME  211 

is  the  case  with  her,  she  is  a  good  cook,  this  makes  a  wonder- 
ful difference  in  your  comfort,  and  certainly  adds  to  the 
chance  of  your  preserving  your  health.  And  in  the  next 
place,  should  you  fall  ill,  or  be  mauled  by  a  tiger  or  puma, 
she  will  make  a  far  better  nurse  than  Dias  himself  would  be. 
Now  that  you  are  cutting  yourself  adrift  from  civilization, 
I  shall  not  expect  to  hear  from  you  again  for  a  long  time. 
I  shall  try  and  not  be  uneasy;  but  really,  Harry,  I  do  feel 
that  I  have  incurred  a  very  heavy  responsibility,  and  may, 
with  the  best  intentions  in  the  world,  have  sent  you  and 
Bertie  to  your  death.  I  have,  as  you  directed  me,  addressed 
this  to  the  care  of  our  consul,  and  it  must  be  many  months 
before  you  receive  it,  many  months  more  before  I  again  hear 
from  you.  Should  you  require  more  money,  draw  upon  me. 
I  have  always  a  good  balance  standing  at  the  bank,  therefore 
do  not  hesitate  to  draw,  in  case  the  amount  sent  out  to  you 
quarterly  does  not  prove  sufficient  to  carry  out  any  scheme 
you  may  have  in  hand. 

"  With  all  good  wishes  for  your  own  and  Bertie's  welfare, 
"  I  remain, 

"  Your  affectionate  guardian, 

"JAMES   BARNETT." 

When  he  returned  to  the  hotel  he  handed  Mr.  Barnett's 
letter  to  Bertie  to  readf  and  said : 

"  Stop  down  here  in  the  patio,  Bertie ;  I  have  two  letters 
that  I  want  to  read  quietly." 

Bertie  laughed. 

"  All  right,  Harry ;  take  your  time  over  them ;  I  won't 
disturb  you." 

It  was  dusk  now,  and  when  Harry  went  to  his  room  he 
lit  a  couple  of  candles  and  seated  himself  in  a  large  cane 
arm-chair  and  opened  his  letters. 

The  first  one  consisted  chiefly  of  expressions  of  pleasure 
at  his  arrival  at  Callao,  of  remarks  upon  the  voyage,  of  com- 
plaints as  to  the  long  time  that  had  passed  without  news  of 
him,  and  of  assurances  of  affection. 


212          THE  TBEASUEE  OF  THE  INCAS 

The  second  was,  like  Mr.  Barnett's,  in  reply  to  his  letter 
from  Cuzco. 

"  My  dearest  Harry, 

"  After  reading  your  letter  I  have  been  more  and 
more  impressed  with  my  heartlessness  in  allowing  you  to 
undertake  such  a  journey  as  you  have  before  you.  I  ought 
to  have  been  braver.  I  ought  to  have  refused  absolutely  to 
allow  you  to  go.  The  prospect  of  your  being  able  to  over- 
come my  father's  objections  really  amounts  to  nothing,  and 
I  ought  to  have  said  that  I  would  not  accept  the  sacrifice, 
and  would  not  allow  you  to  run  such  risks;  that  it  would 
be  better  and  kinder  for  both  of  us  to  accept  the  inevitable, 
and  not  enter  upon  such  a  struggle  with  fate. 

"  Do  not  think  that  I  am  already  growing  weary  of  wait- 
ing, and  that  my  heart  is  in  any  way  changed.  It  is  not  that. 
It  is  anxiety  about  you,  and  the  feeling  how  wrong  I  was 
to  let  you  go.  Were  there  even  a  shadow  of  chance  of  your 
success  I  would  wait  patiently  for  years.  I  do  not  say  that 
my  life  is  a  pleasant  one.  It  is  not.  My  father  is  still 
bitterly  angry  with  me  for,  as  he  says,  throwing  away  my 
chances;  that  is  to  say,  of  marrying  a  man  I  do  not  care  for, 
simply  because  he  is  rich.  But  I  can  bear  that.  Mother  is 
very  very  good,  and  does  all  in  her  power  to  cheer  me ;  but,  as- 
you  know,  she  has  never  been  much  more  than  a  cipher,  ac- 
customed always  to  submit  to  my  father's  will,  and  it  is  won- 
derful to  me  that  in  our  matter  she  has  ventured,  not  openly 
to  oppose  him,  but  to  give  me  what  strength  and  comfort 
she  can. 

"I  hardly  know  how  I  should  have  got  on  without  her 
comfort.  My  father  hardly  speaks  to  me.  He  treats  me  as 
if  I  had  been  convicted  of  some  deadly  sin,  and  is  only  re- 
strained from  punishing  me  in  some  way  because,  by  some 
blunder  or  other,  contumacy  against  the  will  of  a  father  has 
been  omitted  from  the  penal  code.  Seriously,  Harry,  it 
makes  me  unhappy,  not  only  for  myself  but  for  him.  Until 


LETTERS  FROM  HOME  212T 

I  was  unable  to  give  in  to  him  in  this  question  he  has  always 
been  the  kindest  of  fathers.  I  am  sure  he  feels  this  estrange- 
ment between  us  almost  as  much  as  I  do,  but  believes  that 
he  is  acting  for  my  good ;  and  it  is  a  great  pain  to  him  that 
I  cannot  see  the  matter  in  the  same  light  as  he  does.  Of 
course  to  me  it  is  most  ridiculous  that  he  should  suppose 
that  my  happiness  depends  upon  having  a  title,  and  cutting 
a  figure  at  court,  and  that  sort  of  thing;  but  there  is  no 
arguing  over  it,  and  I  am  as  thoroughly  convinced  that  my 
view  is  the  correct  one  as  he  is  that  it  is  utter  folly. 

"  However,  I  am  almost  as  sorry  for  him  as  for  myself, 
and  would  do  almost  anything  short  of  giving  you  up  to 
make  him  happy.  However,  do  not  think  that  I  am  very 
miserable,  because  I  am  not.  Somehow,  though  I  can't  give 
any  good  reason  for  my  belief,  I  do  think  you  will  succeed. 
I  do  not  say  that  I  think  for  a  moment  you  are  likely  to  come 
home  with  the  sum  my  father  named  as  necessary ;  that  seems 
to  be  quite  hopeless.  But  I  think  somehow  you  may  succeed 
in  doing  well;  and  though  some  people  might  consider  that 
he  was  justified  in  refusing  his  consent  to  what  he  might 
think  was  a  bad  match,  he  could  not  do  so  with  any  justice 
were  I  to  determine  upon  marrying  a  gentleman  with  some 
fortune.  He  thinks  a  great  deal  of  public  opinion,  and 
would  know  that  even  that  would  be  against  him.  But  in- 
deed, Harry,  I  am  beginning  to  doubt  whether  in  the  end 
I  shall  be  able  to  sacrifice  my  life  to  his  unfortunate  mania, 
that  I  must  marry  what  he  calls  well.  I  love  you,  and  told 
him  that  if  at  the  end  of  two  years  you  were  not  in  a  position 
to  claim  my  hand,  I  would  give  in  to  my  father's  wishes.  I 
will  keep  my  promise  so  far,  that  I  will  not  run  away  with 
you  or  marry  you  in  defiance  of  his  command.  But  as  I 
have  agreed  to  wait  for  two  years  for  you,  I  may  ask  you 
to  wait  another  two  years  for  me. 

"  When  I  think  of  you  going  through  all  sorts  of  dangers 
and  hardships  for  my  sake,  I  feel  that  it  would  be  downright 
wickedness  to  turn  against  you  if  you  find  that  you  cannot 


214          THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  INCAS 

perform  an  impossible  task.  Instead  of  this  separation  mak- 
ing you  less  dear  to  me,  it  is  affecting  me  in  quite  the  other 
way.  My  thoughts  are  always  with  you.  How  could  it  be 
otherwise?  I  have  worked  myself  up  to  such  a  pitch  that 
I  have  almost  resolved  that,  when  the  two  years  are  up,  I 
will  say  to  my  father :  '  I  shall  ask  Harry  to  release  me  from 
my  promise  to  him,  and  for  two  years,  Father,  I  will  go  about 
and  allow  men  a  fair  chance  of  winning  my  love.  If  at  the 
end  of  that  time  I  have  met  no  one  to  whom  I  can  give  my 
heart,  I  will  then  go  my  own  way,  and  if  Harry  will  take  me 
I  will  marry  him.'  It  will  require  a  great  deal  of  courage 
to  say  so;  but  you  are  doing  so  much  to  try  and  win  me, 
that  it  would  be  hard  indeed  if  I  were  to  shrink  from  doing 
a  little  on  my  part. 

"  Still,  it  would  make  it  easier  for  me  if  you  should  have 
the  good  fortune  to  bring  home  something;  not  because,  as 
I  have  told  you  many  times,  I  should  shrink  for  a  moment 
from  renouncing  all  the  luxuries  in  which  I  have  been 
brought  up,  and  for  which  I  care  so  little,  but  because  it 
would,  in  his  eyes,  be  a  proof  of  how  earnestly  you  have 
striven  to  do  what  you  could  to  meet  his  requirements.  I 
did  not  mean  to  say  this  when  I  began  my  letter,  but  it  seems 
to  me  that  it  will  give  you  heart  and  strength  in  your  work, 
and  that  you  will  see  from  it  that  I,  too,  have  taken  my 
courage  in  my  hand,  and  show  you  that  your  love  and  faith- 
fulness shall  some  day  have  the  reward  they  deserve. 
"  God  bless  you  and  keep  you,  dearest, 

"  Your  loving  HILDA." 

Harry  read  the  letter  through  again  and  again,  and  at  last 
Bertie  came  in. 

"  What !  at  it  still,  Harry?  "  he  said  with  a  laugh.  "  You 
must  have  got  your  letters  by  heart  by  this  time.  I  have 
been  sitting  in  the  patio  by  myself  for  two  mortal  hours 
expecting  you  to  come  down.  At  last  I  said  to  myself,  '  This 
sort  of  thing  will  bring  on  madness.  When  a  healthy  sailor 


LETTERS  FROM  HOME  215 

forgets  that  his  brother  is  waiting  for  supper,  to  say  nothing 
of  himself,  it  is  clear  that  there  is  something  radically 
wrong.' " 

"It  is  evident,  Bertie,  that  at  present  you  know  nothing 
of  human  nature.  If  there  had  been  anything  radically 
wrong  in  this  letter  I  should  probably  have  been  down  long 
ago.  It  is  just  the  contrary.  Hilda  says  that  if  I  don't 
succeed  here,  she  will  give  herself,  or  rather  her  father,  two 
years,  and  at  the  end  of  that  time,  if  she  doesn't  find  some- 
one she  likes  better,  she  will  marry  me,  whether  he  likes  it 
or  not — at  least,  that  is  what  it  comes  to." 

"  I  congratulate  you,  old  boy.  At  the  same  time,  it  is 
evident  that  she  would  not  have  been  worth  her  salt  if  she 
had  arrived  at  any  other  conclusion.  Now,  having  settled 
that  comfortably,  let  us  go  and  have  something  to  eat.  You 
appear  to  forget  altogether  that  you  have  had  nothing  since 
breakfast,  and  it  is  now  past  eight  o'clock." 

"  You  boys  think  of  nothing  but  eating,"  Harry  grumbled. 

"  Well,  up  till  now,  Harry,  from  the  time  we  started,  I  have 
observed  that  you  have  a  very  healthy  appetite  yourself,  and 
I  can  tell  you  it  has  cost  me  half  a  dollar  in  bribing  the  cook 
to  stay  on  beyond  his  usual  hour.  I  did  not  like  to  tell  him 
that  you  were  engaged  in  reading  a  love-letter  fifty  times, 
so  I  put  it  delicately  and  said  that  you  were  engaged  in  busi- 
ness of  importance.  It  went  against  my  conscience  to  tell 
such  a  buster." 

"  There,  come  on,  Bertie.  I  had  begun  to  hope  that  you 
were  growing  into  a  sensible  fellow,  but  I  am  afraid  that 
there  is  no  chance  of  that  now,  and  that  you  will  continue 
to  be  a  donkey  to  the  end  of  your  life." 

Harry  had  told  Dias  that  they  had  better  take  two  or 
three  days  at  home  before  they  came  into  Lima  again,  but 
to  his  surprise  the  muleteer  came  in  at  ten  o'clock  next 
morning. 

"  Well,  Dias,  I  did  not  expect  to  see  you  again  so  soon. 
You  have  found  everything  right  at  home,  I  hope  ? " 


216          THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  INCA8 

"  No,  senor,  I  am  sorry  to  say  I  did  not.  Three  days  after 
we  left  here  our  house  was  burnt  down." 

"  Burnt  down,  Dias !  I  am  sorry  indeed  to  hear  that. 
How  did  it  happen  ?  I  thought  you  said  that  you  had  locked 
it  up,  and  left  no  one  there." 

"  That  was  so,  senor.  The  people  who  took  over  the  gar- 
den were  to  go  into  the  house  once  a  week  to  see  that  every- 
thing was  in  order;  but  as  this  fire  broke  out  only  three 
days  after  I  left,  they  had  not  entered  it.  Everyone  says 
that  it  must  have  been  fired  on  purpose,  for  the  flames  seem 
to  have  burst  out  in  all  parts  at  once.  No  one  in  the  town 
thought  that  I  had  an  enemy  in  the  world,  and  all  have  been 
wondering  who  could  have  had  a  grudge  against  me.  Of 
course  we  need  not  go  very  far  to  guess  who  was  at  the  bot- 
tom of  it." 

"  I  suppose  not,  Dias.  It  must  have  been  those  scoundrels 
we  gave  such  a  thrashing  to." 

"  There  is  no  doubt  of  that,  senor.  But  this  time  they 
have  got  the  best  of  me,  for  they  know  very  well  that  I  have 
no  proof  against  them,  and  that  it  would  be  useless  to  lodge 
any  complaint." 

"  I  am  afraid  it  would,  Dias.    Is  it  quite  burnt  down  ?  " 

"  The  walls  are  standing,  senor.  It  takes  a  good  deal  to 
burn  adobe." 

"  What  do  you  suppose  it  would  cost  to  put  it  in  the  same 
condition  as  before,  with  the  furniture  and  everything  ? " 

"  No  great  thing,  senor ;  two  hundred  or  two  hundred  and 
fifty  dollars.  It  would  not  be  as  much  as  that  if  it  hadn't 
been  that  Maria  had  left  her  festa  dresses  and  her  silver 
trinkets  behind.  There  was  not  much  furniture  in  the 
house;  but  I  think  I  could  replace  everything  for  about  two 
hundred  dollars,  and  I  have  a  good  deal  more  than  that  laid 
by." 

"I  shall  certainly  make  that  up  to  you,  Dias.  It  was 
entirely  your  kindness  in  deciding  to  take  us  on  Mr.  Bar- 
nett's  recommendation,  and  to  undertake  this  journey,  that 


LETTERS   FROM  HOME  217 

brought  the  ill-will  of  these  scoundrels  upon  you.  Of  course 
it  is  of  no  use  doing  anything  now,  but  when  our  search  is 
over  I  shall  certainly  see  that  you  are  not  in  any  way  the 
loser." 

"  No,  senor ;  if  I  could  not  replace  it  myself  I  might  accept 
your  kind  offer,  but  I  can  do  it  without  breaking  very  heavily 
into  my  savings.  And  indeed  their  attack  on  me  was  the 
outcome  of  an  old  grudge.  I  have  been  long  regarded  as  a 
fortunate  man,  and  truly  I  have  been  so.  If  there  was  a  job 
for  five  mules,  and  I  was  disengaged,  I  always  had  the  first 
offer." 

"But  that  was  not  fortune,  Bias;  that  was  because  you 
were  known  to  be  wholly  trustworthy." 

"  There  are  few  muleteers  who  are  not  so,  senor ;  it  i3 
rarely  indeed  that  muleteers  are  false  to  their  trust.  I  can 
scarce  remember  an  instance.  We  Indians  have  our  faults, 
but  we  are  honest." 

"  Well,  perhaps  your  getting  the  first  job  to  go  with  for- 
eign travellers  may  have  been  a  piece  of  good  fortune,  but 
it  is  because  these  were  so  well  satisfied  with  you  that  others 
engaged  you.  Trustworthiness  is  not  the  only  thing  wanted 
in  a  muleteer;  willingness,  cheerfulness,  and  a  readiness  to 
oblige  are  almost  as  important  for  the  comfort  of  travellers. 
Well,  do  you  think  these  fellows  will  try  and  play  you  an- 
other trick,  Dias?" 

"  I  hope  they  will,"  Dias  said  savagely,  "  that  is,  if  they 
don't  have  too  much  odds  against  me.  I  owe  them  a  big 
score  now,  for  twice  they  have  got  the  better  of  me.  I 
should  like  to  get  even  with  them." 

"Well,  Dias,  I  hope  they  won't  try  anything  of  the  sort. 
If  anything  should  happen  to  you,  I  should  not  only  be 
extremely  sorry  for  your  sake  and  your  wife's,  but  it  would 
destroy  the  last  chance  I  have  of  carrying  out  my  search  for 
treasure.  Do  you  think  that  if  I  were  to  go  to  the  consul 
and  lay  a  complaint  against  them,  on  the  ground,  in  the  first 
place,  of  their  attack  on  you,  and  now  of  burning  your  house, 
it  would  have  any  effect  ? " 


218          THE  TEEASUEE  OF  THE  INCAS 

"  If  you  were  to  make  a  complaint  it  might  do,  senor ;  it 
certainly  would  not  were  I  to  do  so.  A  little  bribe  would, 
of  course,  be  necessary;  you  cannot  do  anything  without 
that.  The  officials  here  are  all  Gamarra's  men,  and  there 
is  not  one  of  them  who  would  not  take  a  bribe.  But  would 
it  be  worth  while,  as  we  are  only  going  to  stay  here  a  week? 
And  if  you  got  them  imprisoned  they  would  be  out  again 
before  I  came  back,  and  would  be  more  anxious  than  ever 
to  get  rid  of  me." 

"  There  is  a  good  deal  in  that,  Dias.  As,  of  course,  we 
shall  be  away,  and  starting  for  home  again  as  soon  as  we 
return  here,  their  spite  would  be  directed  entirely  against 
you." 

"  I  hope,  senors,  that  while  you  stop  here  you  will  never 
go  out  without  your  pistols.  It  is  against  you  they  have  a 
grudge  now  more  than  me;  it  was  owing  to  you  that  they 
failed  in  killing  me." 

"We  will  do  so;  and  we  won't  carry  sticks  this  time,  so 
that  if  they  see  us  going  along  they  will  think  we  are  un- 
armed." 

Whenever  they  went  out  after  dark,  indeed,  Harry  and 
Bertie  had  an  idea  that  they  were  followed,  and  on  their 
way  home  each  invariably  carried  a  cocked  pistol  in  his 
pocket,  ready  for  instant  use.  It  was  well  that  they  did  so, 
for  on  returning  late  one  evening  from  Senor  Pasquez,  four 
men  suddenly  sprang  out  upon  them. 

They  were  on  their  guard,  and  their  arms  went  up  in  an 
instant,  and  two  shots  were  fired.  As  the  pistols  were  almost 
touching  the  men's  heads  when  the  trigger  was  pulled,  both 
the  assailants  dropped  dead,  and  the  others  at  once  took  to 
their  heels. 

"  There  are  two  of  Dias's  enemies  wiped  out,"  Harry  said 
quietly.  "I  hope  the  others  will  give  us  a  chance  before 
we  leave.  Well,  let  us  walk  on  before  the  watch  comes  along. 
It  would  ruin  our  plans  altogether  if  we  were  kept  here  for 
an  indefinite  time  while  enquiries  are  being  made." 


LETTERS  FBOM  HOME  219 

The  next  morning  they  heard  from  their  waiter  at  break- 
fast that  two  men  had  been  found  dead  in  the  street. 

"  They  are  muleteers,"  he  said,  "  but  are  known  to  be  bad 
characters,  and  are  suspected  of  having  been  concerned  in 
several  murders.  It  is  evident  that  they  made  a  mistake  this 
;ime,  and  have  got  what  they  deserved.  They  are  known  to 
je  associated  with  others.  There  were  five  of  them;  one  was 
iilled  in  a  knife  fight  some  months  ago,  and  a  search  has 
seen  made  for  the  others,  but  it  is  not  likely  that  they  will 
36  caught.  They  were  probably  concerned  in  the  affair,  and 
mowing  that  they  would  be  suspected  of  having  a  hand  in 
;his,  and  that  their  character  will  go  against  them,  I  expect 
;hey  went  off  at  once  to  the  foot  of  the  hills,  and  won't  be 
icard  of  again  for  some  time  to  come." 

"  I  think  it  a  pity  they  were  not  all  shot.  It  is  a  shame 
;hat  in  a  town  like  this  people  cannot  walk  in  the  streets 
ifter  dark  without  the  risk  of  being  assassinated." 

Bias  was  very  pleased  when,  on  coming  up  that  morning, 
le  heard  of  what  had  happened.  He  quite  agreed  that  the 
)ther  men  would  almost  certainly  have  taken  to  the  moun- 
;ains. 

"  Even  if  they  have  not,  senor,  you  are  safe  from  another 
ittack.  Now  they  know  that  you  carry  pistols,  and  are  pre- 
pared for  them,  they  will  let  you  alone." 

"  When  we  come  back  here,  Dias,  we  will  give  you  a  brace 
)f  our  pistols,  and  I  trust  you  will  carry  them  in  your  pocket 
•eady  for  use  after  dark,  whether  you  are  in  Lima  or  at 
Miraflores." 

"  Thank  you,  senor.  I  do  not  think  they  are  likely  to  show 
;heir  faces  here  again  for  a  long  time;  but  at  any  rate  I 
tfill  be  on  my  guard,  and  will  gratefully  accept  your  offer 
)f  the  pistols.  Now,  senors,  I  must  set  to  work  to-day  to 
;et  in  our  stores  for  the  next  journey.  I  have  made  a  list 
)f  what  we  shall  want." 

"  Well,  I  have  plenty  of  money,  Dias,  for  I  find  two  remit- 
tances from  home  awaiting  me  here.  We  have  already 


220  THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  INCAS 

bought  two  double-barrelled  guns  and  a  stock  of  ammunition, 
principally  buck-shot,  for  we  shall  not  be  doing  much  big 
game  shooting.  We  can  always  buy  food  at  the  sea-side 
villages." 

Three  days  later  all  was  in  readiness.  The  mules  were 
brought  up  from  Miraflores  by  Jose,  accompanied  by  Maria, 
and  an  early  start  was  made  on  the  following  morning. 


CHAPTER  XIV 

THE   CASTLE   OF  THE   DEMONS 


,  senor,"  Dias  said,  "  you  will  see  the  spot 
I  was  telling  you  about,  where,  as  the  traditions  say, 
the  spirits  of  our  ancestors  inhabit  the  ruins  of  a  building 
so  old,  that  it  was  ancient  when  the  Incas  first  came  here. 
They  are  still  there,  and  men  who  have  been  rash  enough 
to  approach  the  spot  have  been  found  torn  to  pieces  as  if  by 
wild  beasts;  but  none  go  near  now." 

"  Did  the  Spaniards  never  go  there  ?  " 

"I  know  not,  sir;  but  'tis  likely  they  never  even  heard 
of  it.  The  country  is  all  dry  and  barren,  and  there  were 
no  mines  to  tempt  them.  The  Indians  never  speak  of  it; 
those  who  were  alive  when  the  Spaniards  came  had  some 
reasons  for  not  doing  so  ;  and  even  now  you  could  go  to  the 
nearest  village,  which  lies  more  than  twenty  miles  away,  and 
ask  the  people  about  it,  but  they  would  only  say  that  they 
had  never  heard  of  it,  that  no  such  place  existed,  for  they 
believe  that  even  to  speak  of  it  would  bring  dire  disaster. 
We  Indians  are  Christians;  the  Spaniards  made  us  so.  We 
make  the  sign  of  the  cross,  and  we  bow  before  their  images 
and  pictures,  and  once  a  year  we  go  to  their  churches;  but 
among  the  tribes  east  of  the  mountains  that  is  all.  We  be- 
lieve in  the  traditions  of  our  fathers  and  in  the  demons  of 
the  forest;  and  though  on  this  side  of  the  hills,  where  the 


THE  CASTLE  OF  THE  DEMONS  221 

Spaniards  held  a  tight  grip  upon  us,  the  people  have  well- 
nigh  forgotten  their  old  faith,  they  still  believe  in  i  many  of 
the  tales  they  have  learned  from  their  fathers,  and  this  of 
the  Castle  of  the  Demons,  as  it  is  called,  is  as  strong  as  ever 
in  these  parts." 

"  Have  you  ever  seen  the  castle,  Bias  ?  " 

"  I  have  seen  it,  senor.  There  is  only  one  point  from 
which  it  is  visible.  We  shall  go  there  to-morrow,  it  is  ten 
miles  from  here.  The  castle  lies  in  a  rift  of  the  rock.  I 
should  say  that  in  ancient  times  this  opened  to  the  sea,  but 
the  building  closed  the  entrance.  Whatever  it  may  have 
been,  it  does  not  rise  above  the  summit  of  the  cliff,  which 
goes  down  as  straight  as  a  wall  for  miles  on  the  sea-face. 
The  rift  on  the  land  side  of  the  castle  seems  to  have  a  width 
of  about  fifty  feet,  and  I  could  see  openings  which  were,  I 
suppose,  windows.  The  rocks  on  each  side  are  higher  than 
the  castle  itself,  so  that  anyone  coming  along  would  not  see 
it  until  he  looked  down  upon  it." 

"  But  of  course  it  is  visible  from  the  sea,  Bias  ?  " 

"  It  would  have  been  visible  in  the  old  days  without  a 
doubt,  '  jnor,  but  it  cannot  be  seen  now.  The  stones  are 
the  colour  of  the  rocks  beside  them.  They  are  stained  and 
broken,  and  unless  a  boat  went  along  within  a  very  short 
distance  none  would  dream  that  there  was  a  break  in  the  cliff 
there.  I  heard  that  from  a  fisherman  whose  boat  was  driven 
in  by  a  gale  and  well-nigh  lost.  He  said  that  he  could  see 
that  the  stones,  which  are  very  large — much  larger  than  any 
of  those  in  the  remains  of  the  buildings  of  the  Incas — were 
not  in  regular  lines." 

"  It  is  very  strange  that  anyone  should  have  taken  the 
trquble  to  build  a  place  in  such  a  singular  position.  Is  there 
not  any  legend  as  to  its  construction  ?  " 

"  There  is  a  tradition,  senor,  that  it  was  built  as  a  prison, 
by  the  king  of  those  times,  a  thousand  years  before  the  Span- 
iards came,  and  even  before  the  people  whom  the  Incas 
conquered  came  into  the  land,  and  that  it  was  a  place  of 


222          THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  INCAS 

imprisonment,  some  say  of  a  wife,  others  of  a  son,  who  had 
rebelled  against  him.  Some  say  that  it  was  built  by  the 
demons,  but  as  it  happened  long  before  our  people  came  here, 
none  can  know." 

"  Well,  Bias,  it  seems  to  me  that  this  old  place  is  very 
likely  to  have  been  used  as  a  hiding-place  for  treasure.  As 
to  these  tales  about  demons,  of  course  they  are  ridiculous. 
I  took  your  advice  when  we  were  being  opposed  by  fierce 
Indians,  but  when  it  is  a  question  of  demons,  I  can  trust  to 
my  revolvers  and  rifles  against  a  legion  of  them." 

"  Well,  senor,  you  are  the  master.  I  have  led  you  here  as 
I  promised.  There  may  be  treasure  here  or  there  may  not. 
If  you  will  go,  you  must;  but  I  pray  you  not  to  command 
me  to  go  with  you.  I  would  have  followed  you  to  the  death 
through  the  swamps  and  forests  on  the  other  side,  but  I 
dare  not  risk  being  torn  to  death  by  .demons  and  being  left 
without  burial." 

"I  do  not  press  you  to  go,  Bias.  I  respect  your  convic- 
tions, though  I  do  not  share  in  them.  I  have  had  a  year 
of  travel  with  you,  and  we  have  had  many  adventures  to- 
gether. This  will  be  my  last  before  I  return  home.  Here 
at  least  there  seems  to  me  a  chance  of  finding  treasure,  an 
infinitely  better  chance  than  any  we  have  had,  except  in  the 
gold  valley.  Here  is  a  mysterious  castle,  of  whose  very 
existence  the  Spaniards  seem  never  to  have  heard.  It  is  just 
the  place  where  treasure  might  be  hidden.  If  it  has  guar- 
dians, they  must  be  human,  and  also  there  can  be  but  few. 
The  urgent  necessity  for  secrecy  was  so  great,  that  it  must, 
like  all  the  other  secrets,  have  been  confided  to  a  few  only. 
Maybe  but  one  or  two  old  men  are  there,  of  whom  certainly 
I  need  not  be  afraid.  I  have  told  you  why  I  came  here,  and 
why  I  feel  so  anxious  to  find  a  valuable  mine,  or  part  of  the 
lost  treasures  of  the  Incas.  So  far  I  have  failed  altogether, 
and  I  should  be  a  fool  as  well  as  a  coward  were  I  »ot  ready 
to  run  some  slight  risk  in  searching  this  mysterious  castle." 

"  So  be  it,  senor.    I  say  not  that  you  may  not  succeed. 


THE  CASTLE  OF  THE  DEMONS          223 

[t  may  be  that  the  demons  have  no  power  over  white  men. 
[f  you  go  and  return  safely  I  will  go  with  you,  and,  should 
pou  find  treasure,  aid  you  to  carry  it  away.  I  will  lead  you 
;o  within  two  miles  of  it,  and  will  wait  three  days  for  your 
•eturn.  If  you  come  not  then,  I  will  return  to  my  place 
ind  mourn  for  you." 

"  Very  well,  Dias,  you  may  count  upon  my  return  long 
jefore  the  three  days  are  up.  Now,  in  the  first  place,  take 
ne  to  the  point  from  which  I  can  have  a  view  of  the  castle." 

"  We  have  had  a  long  journey  to-day,  senor,  and  it  is  two 
lours'  journey  from  here.  We  had  better  rest  and  go  in  the 
norning." 

Harry  nodded. 

"  We  will  be  off  early.  You  say  it  is  ten  miles  from  the 
ipot  where  we  shall  see  it.  If  we  start  at  daybreak  I  can 
>e  there  before  noon,  which  will  give  me  plenty  of  time  for 
i  first  look  round  the  place.  We  have  got  some  torches  left. 
[  shall  want  them,  for  possibly  there  may  be  some  chambers 
underground  into  which  we  shall  have  to  penetrate.  We 
nay  take  it  as  certain  that,  whether  the  old  people  hid  a  great 
measure  from  the  Incas,  or  the  Incas  hid  one  from  the  Span- 
ards,  they  did  not  leave  it  about  in  rooms,  but  stowed  it 
iway  in  vaults  like  those  we  saw  at  Pachacamac,  and  these 
vill  certainly  want  a  lot  of  looking  for." 

"  I  will  help  you  look,  senor,  and  will  work  there  as  long 
is  you  like  in  the  search,  if  you  return  and  tell  me  that  you 
lave  seen  and  heard  nothing  of  the  demons  that  are  said  to 
)e  there.  I  am  not  afraid  of  danger  when  I  know  that  it  is 
nen  that  we  have  to  do  with.  But  I  dread  being  strangled 
md  torn,  as  the  legends  say  that  all  who  have  ventured  here 
lave  been." 

"But  according  to  your  own  account,  Dias,"  Bertie 
laughed,  "  that  was  long,  long  ago,  and  the  demons  may  have 
?ot  tired"  of  guarding  a  place  that  no  one  came  near,  and 
have  gone  elsewhere  in  search  of  victims." 

Dias  shook  his  head  gravely.    In  spite  of  his  life  as  a 


224  THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  INCAS 

muleteer,  and  his  acquaintance  with  Englishmen,  he  was  as 
superstitious  as  the  rest  of  his  countrymen.  The  nominal 
Christianity  enforced  by  the  Spaniards  upon  the  natives  was 
but  skin-deep,  and  thus  they  clung  with  undying  fidelity  to 
the  superstitions  and  traditions  that  had  been  handed  down 
from  generation  to  generation,  and  had  been  preserved  with 
a  tenacity  that  even  the  tortures  of  the  Spaniards  had  failed 
to  shake.  The  failure  to  obtain  the  gold  which  they  confi- 
dently expected  to  find  in  the  valley  had  still  further  strength- 
ened his  belief  that  it  was  destined  that  these  treasures  should 
never  be  discovered ;  and  although  when  there  he  had  listened 
gravely  to  Harry's  explanations  of  the  manner  in  which  the 
lake  had  been  formed,  his  own  conviction  that  all  this  was 
the  work  of  demons  had  been  unshaken.  If,  then,  a  spot, 
which  even  the  tradition  handed  down  to  him  had  in  no  way 
connected  with  the  guardianship  of  demons,  was  so  firmly 
watched,  how  much  more  must  this  be  so  at  a  spot  which  all 
legends  agreed  was  inhabited  by  demons,  and  had  been  the 
scene  of  so  many  executions  by  them  of  those  who  had  vent- 
ured near. 

As  Bertie  and  his  brother  sat  together  by  the  fire  that 
evening  after  the  others  had  retired  to  rest,  they  talked  long 
over  the  matter;  for  just  as  when  they  had  approached  the 
gold  valley,  their  excitement  had  increased  with  every  day's 
journey.  Harry  felt  that  this  was  his  last  chance,  his  only 
hope  of  gaining  the  object  for  which  he  had  left  England. 

"It  is  strange,  Harry,"  Bertie  said,  "that  the  natives 
should  believe  these  absurd  stories  about  demons.  Dias 
seems,  in  every  other  way,  as  sensible  a  fellow  as  one  can 
want  to  meet,  but  in  this  respect  he  is  as  bad  as  any  of  them." 

"It  is  not  extraordinary,  Bertie,  if  you  remember  that 
it  is  not  so  very  long  ago  since  people  at  home  believed  in 
witches  who  sailed  through  the  air  to  take  part  in  diabolic 
ceremonies,  and  brought  about  the  death  of  anyone  by  stick- 
ing pins  into  a  little  waxen  image,  and  that  even  now  the 
peasantry  in  out-of-the-way  parts  of  the  country  still  hold 


THE  CASTLE  OF  THE  DEMONS  225 

that  some  old  women  bewitch  cows,  and  prevent  milk  turning 
into  butter  however  long  they  may  continue  churning. 
Fairy  superstitions  have  not  quite  disappeared,  and  the 
belief  in  ghosts  is  very  wide-spread. 

"  When  you  think  of  that  it  is  not  surprising  that  these 
poor  ignorant  natives  still  have  implicit  faith  in  the  tradi- 
tions of  their  ancestors.  It  is  possible  that  this  old  place  is 
still  inhabited  by  Indians,  who  have  been  its  guardians  for 
ages,  and  if  not  now,  may  have  had  charge  of  it  long  after 
the  Spaniards  came  here,  and  murdered  any  who  ventured 
to  approach  the  place.  We  know  that  the  tradition  of  the 
gold  valley  has  been  faithfully  maintained  in  the  family  of 
Dias;  this  may  also  be  the  case  in  the  family  to  which  the 
guardianship  of  this  old  place  was  entrusted,  but  to  my 
mind  it  is  less  likely.  In  the  case  of  the  gold  valley  there 
was  nothing  for  those  in  the  secret  to  do  but  to  hold  their 
tongues;  but  to  supply  guardians  to  this  place  from  genera- 
tion to  generation  must  have  been  a  much  more  irksome 
task,  and  it  may  have  been  abandoned,  either  from  the  dis- 
like of  those  who  had  to  spend  their  lives  in  such  a  monoto- 
nous business,  or  by  their  families  dying  out.  I  certainly 
don't  want  to  have  a  fight  with  men  who  are  only  following 
orders  passed  down  to  them  for  hundreds  of  years.  If  they 
attack  us,  we  shall  have  to  fight;  but  I  sincerely  trust  that 
we  may  find  the  place  deserted,  for,  fight  or  no  fight,  I  mean 
to  get  the  treasure  if  it  is  there." 

"  I  should  think  so,"  Bertie  agreed.  "  The  treasure  is 
absolutely  of  no  use  to  them,  and  may  be  no  end  of  use  to 
you." 

"  To  both  of  us,  Bertie.  If  there  is  a  treasure,  you  may 
be  sure  it  is  a  large  one,  ample  for  both  of  us,  and  to  spare. 
Of  course  we  shall  have  trouble  in  getting  it  away — the  gold 
would  be  invaluable  to  any  of  these  rascally  adventurers 
who  are  a  curse  to  Peru.  I  really  want  to  see  the  place,  even 
putting  aside  the  question  of  the  treasure,  for  it  must  have 
been  extraordinarily  well  hidden  if  the  Spaniards  never  came 


226          THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  INCAS 

upon  it;  and  I  think  there  can  be  no  doubt  whatever  that 
in  this  respect  the  traditions  must  be  true.  The  whole  thing 
would  have  been  upset  if  the  Spaniards  had  once  paid  a  visit 
there,  for,  from  what  we  saw  at  Pachacamac  and  Cuzco,  they 
spared  no  exertions  whatever  to  root  out  likely  hiding-places. 
The  treasure,  if  there  is  one,  will  be  difficult  to  find,  but  I 
have  got  nearly  a  year  yet,  and  if  necessary  I  will  spend  the 
whole  of  it  in  digging.  Dias  could  go  and  get  provisions 
for  us.  Of  course  he  must  not  always  go  to  the  same  place. 
Sometimes  he  can  go  up  to  Huaura,  sometimes  down  to 
Ohancay  or  Ancon.  This  place,  he  has  told  me,  lies  a  mils 
or  two  south  of  the  Salinas  promontory,  which  would  partly 
account  for  its  escaping  notice,  for  the  road  from  Huaura, 
as  we  see  on  the  map,  skirts  the  foot  of  the  hill,  and  goes 
straight  on  to  Chancay  and  Ancon,  and  there  is  no  earthly 
reason  why  anyone  should  go  out  to  the  promontory.  Peo- 
ple here  don't  leave  the  roads  and  travel  eight  or  ten  miles 
merely  to  look  at  the  ocean,  especially  when  by  following  the 
straight  line  they  would  see  it  without  trouble.  Well,  we 
have  both  had  hard  work  during  the  past  year,  what  with 
felling  trees  to  make  bridges,  chopping  logs  for  fires,  making 
roads  practicable  by  moving  rocks  out  of  the  way,  occasion- 
ally using  our  picks  where  Dias  thought  that  there  was  a 
lode,  and  carrying  mules'  burdens  up  and  down  steep  places. 

"  Altogether  it  has  been  a  sort  of  backwoodsman's  life, 
and  if  there  are  treasure-vaults  in  this  place  I  think  we  shall 
be  able  to  get  at  them,  however  thick  and  heavy  the  stones 
may  be  on  the  top  of  them." 

"  I  am  game,"  Bertie  said.  "  There  is  a  lot  more  excite- 
ment in  working  when  possibly  a  treasure  lies  under  your 
feet  than  in  chopping  away  at  trees,  some  of  which  are  so 
hard  as  almost  to  turn  the  edge  of  an  axe.  The  place  can- 
not be  very  large,  so  it  won't  take  us  very  long  if  we  are 
obliged  to  tear  up  every  foot  of  it.  I  suppose  there  cannot 
be  above  three  feet  of  stone  over  the  mouths  of  any  of  these 
vaults." 


THE  CASTLE  OF  THE  DEMONS  227 

**I  think,  Bertie,  that  when  we  have  once  investigated 
the  place  and  settled  on  our  plans,  we  had  better  send  Dias 
and  Jose  down  to  Callao  to  get  three  or  four  kegs  of  powder 
and  some  boring  tools,  besides  a  supply  of  provisions.  We 
should  get  on  a  lot  faster  with  these  than  with  only  pick- 
axes. We  shall  want  a  couple  of  strong  iron  crowbars  for 
lifting  slabs  of  stone,  and  of  course  some  fuse  for  the  mines." 

"  We  should  have  to  be  careful  not  to  put  too  much  powder 
in,  so  as  not  to  bring  the  whole  thing  down  about  our  ears." 

"  Oh,  we  should  not  want  to  make  a  mine  of  that  sort, 
but  only  to  blast  the  stone  as  they  do  in  quarries  and  mines. 
We  should  have  to  make  a  hole  to  begin  with,  by  means  of 
our  picks  and  crowbars,  in  one  corner  of  the  room,  two  or 
three  feet  wide;  then  we  must  make  a  couple  of  holes  the 
size  of  the  boring  tool,  a  foot  or  so  away,  according  to  the 
hardness  of  the  ground,  put  in  charges  and  fire  them,  and 
in  that  way  blow  down  the  rock  into  the  hole  we  had  made; 
and  so  we  should  go  on  until  we  had  done  the  whole  affair. 
Of  course,  the  bigger  the  hole  we  first  make — that  is  to  say, 
the  wider  the  face  it  has — the  easier  we  shall  blow  the  stone 
down  afterwards.  I  have  watched  them  blasting  stone  at 
Portland,  and  at  some  galleries  they  were  making  at  Gibral- 
tar, and  I  know  pretty  well  how  it  is  done.  Of  course  it  is 
hard  work  driving  the  borers  down,  for  that  we  shall  want 
two  or  three  sledges  of  different  weights.  It  will  make  our 
arms  ache  at  first,  but  after  a  week  or  two  we  shall  be  able 
to  stick  to  it  fairly  well.  Now  we  had  better  turn  in.  We 
shall  start  at  daybreak  to-morrow.  It  will  take  us  two  hours 
to  reach  the  spot  from  which  Dias  said  we  could  see  the 
place,  and  another  three  hours  to  get  to  the  castle.  That 
will  give  us  a  long  afternoon  to  take  our  first  look  over  it." 

"  There,  senor,"  Dias  said,  when  at  eight  o'clock  in  the 
morning  they  stopped  on  a  projecting  spur  of  the  hill,  "  that 
is  the  castle !  " 

From  where  they  stood  they  could  see  that  the  ground 
fell  away  into  what  was  at  first  a  mere  depression,  but  grad- 


228          THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  INCAS 

ually  deepened  into  a  valley  half  a  mile  wide.  Still  farther 
down  the  sides  became  more  precipitous,  and  in  the  distance 
the  valley  was  closed  in  by  rock  walls,  and  appeared  to  come 
to  an  end.  That  it  did  not  do  so  was  evident  from  a  streak 
of  bright  green  in  the  centre  of  the  valley,  showing  that  a 
small  stream  must  run  down  it.  From  the  point  at  which 
they  stood  they  could  see  the  level  line  of  the  plateau  near 
the  cliff  facing  the  sea,  and  on  the  surface  of  this  a  dark 
zigzag  line  marked  the  course  of  the  ravine.  Then,  when 
apparently  close  to  the  termination  of  the  flat  land  by  the 
cliffs,  the  dark  streak  widened  out  somewhat.  Through  a 
small  but  powerful  telescope  which  Harry  carried  he  could 
make  out  distinctly  the  upper  part  of  what  might  be  a  house. 

"  It  is  a  strange-looking  place  for  a  castle  to  be  built," 
he  said,  "  but  it  quite  answers  to  your  description,  Dias. 
There  are  certainly  some  openings,  which  may  have  been 
windows.  I  am  sure  no  one  looking  from  here,  and  ignorant 
that  such  a  place  existed,  would  notice  it,  and  of  course  from 
the  valley  it  could  not  be  seen  at  all.  Even  from  this  height 
I  do  not  think  I  can  see  more  than  ten  or  twelve  feet  of  the 
upper  part.  But  surely  it  must  be  noticeable  to  anyone 
coming  along  the  cliffs  ?  " 

"  It  may  be,  senor,  but  I  cannot  say.  Certainly  no  native 
would  go  along  there  even  in  the  daytime.  Still,  it  does 
seem  likely  that  in  the  Spanish  time  some  must  have  ridden 
along  the  top  of  the  cliffs,  and  if  they  had  seen  the  castle  it 
would  certainly  have  been  searched.  Assuredly  it  has  not 
been  so.  I  have  been  at  Ancon  and  Salinas  many  times,  and 
have  talked  with  the  people  there.  They  would  never  speak 
on  the  subject  to  one  of  white  blood,  but  knowing  that  I  was 
of  native  blood,  and  belonged  to  one  of  the  families  to  whom 
the  secret  could  be  strictly  trusted,  they  were  ready  enough 
to  talk  about  the  Castle  of  Demons.  Had  the  Spaniards  ever 
searched  it  they  would  have  known,  and  the  place  would  no 
longer  be  feared;  but  all  say  that  from  the  time  of  the  con- 
quest by  the  Spaniards  no  living  being  has,  as  far  as  is  known, 
entered  it." 


THE  CASTLE  OF  THE  DEMONS  2291 

"Then  the  Incas  knew  of  it,  Bias? " 

"I  think  so,  senor,  though  I  have  not  heard  that  any  of 
them  ever  lived  there;  but  tradition  says  that  the  vessel  in 
svhich  a  great  store  of  treasure  was  sent  away  from  Pachaca- 
tnac,  and  which,  as  is  proved  by  Spanish  writings,  was  never 
beard  of  afterwards,  and  doubtless  was  sunk  in  a  great  storm 
that  came  on  two  or  three  days  after  it  sailed,  was  intended 
to  be  landed  and  hidden  in  this  castle,  which  they  thought 
might  well  escape  the  observation  of  the  Spaniards." 

"  And  even  among  your  traditions  there  is  no  allusion  to 
tvhat  became  of  this  treasure  ship  ? " 

"  No,  senor ;  all  traditions  say  that  it  was  never  heard  of 
From  the  day  it  sailed.  Had  it  landed  at  that  castle  the 
secret  would  have  been  handed  down  to  some  of  the  native 
families,  just  as  that  of  the  golden  valley  and  of  other  hid- 
ien  treasures  has  been.  But  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  the 
ship  was  lost  with  all  her  treasure." 

"  Well,  we  need  not  talk  any  more  about  it  now,  Bias ; 
we  shall  learn  nothing  more,  however  long  we  stay  here  and 
stare  at  it." 

They  stopped  half  an  hour  for  breakfast  and  then  rode 
lown  the  valley.  When  they  got  near  the  spot  where  it 
slosed  in  Harry  saw  by  the  pallor  on  the  native's  face  that 
be  was  beginning  to  be  greatly  alarmed. 

"  You  had  better  stop  here,  Dias.  My  brother  and  I  will 
?o  on  and  explore  this  ravine  and  have  a  look  at  the  place. 
We  will  take  some  ropes  with  us,  for  the  ravine  may  be 
blocked  by  falls  of  rocks,  and  we  may  have  to  let  ourselves 
lown.  Evidently  the  water  gets  to  the  sea,  or  this  valley 
would  be  a  lake  like  that  in  the  golden  ravine,  for  although 
it  is  but  a  mere  driblet  of  water  now,  you  can  see  by  the 
banks  that  a  considerable  amount  comes  down  in  the  wet 
season.  How  it  gets  past  the  castle  I  don't  know;  I  can 
only  suppose  that  there  is  a  passage  for  it  underneath  the 
building.  We  will  take  both  our  guns,  Bertie,  and  our  pis- 
tols. That  there  are  no  demons  we  are  quite  sure,  but  the 


230  THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  INCAS 

place  may  have  been  used  as  a  hiding-place  for  outlaws  and 
brigands,  who  could  find  no  better  spot,  as  there  was  no  fear 
whatever  of  its  being  discovered.  We  will  take  some  bread 
and  meat  in  our  haversacks  and  a  flask  of  spirits.  Perhaps 
we  shall  be  away  longer  than  we  expect,  Dias,  but  at  any  rate 
we  will  not  stop  there  after  dark." 

Tears  were  in  the  Indian's  eyes  as  Harry  and  Bertie  said 
good-bye  to  him  and  started,  and  when  he  saw  them  enter  the 
ravine  he  sat  down  with  his  elbows  on  his  knees  and  cried 
unrestrainedly.  His  wife  went  up  to  him  and  put  her  hand 
on  his  shoulder. 

"  Do  not  sorrow,  Dias ;  as  for  me,  I  have  no  fear,  though 
I  love  them  as  well  as  you  do.  I  do  not  say  that  there  may 
not  be  demons  in  the  castle — everyone  says  there  are; — but 
though  these  may  strangle  our  people  who  break  the  orders 
that  were  given  that  none  should  go  near,  I  do  not  believe 
they  can  hurt  our  white  friends.  You  saw  that  they  had 
no  fear;  you  know  how  brave  they  are,  and  how  they  laughed 
at  the  idea  of  the  demons  having  any  power  over  them.  Do 
you  think  I  could  smile  and  talk  if  I  thought  they  were  in 
danger?  Still,  as  there  is  no  need  to  prepare  dinner  yet,  I 
will  tell  my  beads  over  and  over  again.  We  shall  know  if 
any  harm  comes  to  them  if  we  hear  them  fire  their  guns,  for 
it  is  certain  that  they  would  do  so.  Even  if  a  legion  of 
demons  attacked  them  they  would  never  run  away,  but  would 
fight  till  the  last." 

"  I  love  them,"  Dias  said ;  "  I  love  them  as  my  own  sons. 
At  first,  when  they  came  to  me  from  Senor  Barnett,  it  was 
for  his  sake  that  I  consented  to  accompany  and  aid  them; 
but  from  that  night  when  they  saved  my  life  by  rushing,  with 
no  weapons  save  their  sticks,  into  the  midst  of  five  men  with 
drawn  knives,  I  felt  how  noble  they  were,  and  I  loved  them 
not  only  for  the  sake  of  my  life,  but  for  their  bravery.  Since 
then  my  feelings  have  grown  every  day.  Have  they  not 
treated  us  as  equals,  as  they  would  do  people  of  their  own 
race — us  who,  by  every  Peruvian  with  white  blood  in  his 
veins,  are  looked  down  upon  ? " 


THE  CASTLE  OF  THE  DEMONS  231 

"  It  is  true,  Dias.  They  have  laughed  and  joked  with  us, 
and  have  treated  me  with  as  much  respect  as  if  I  had  been, 
of  pure  Spanish  blood,  and  have  always  done  everything  they 
could  to  make  things  easy  for  me.  I  will  not  believe  God 
and  the  Holy  Virgin  can  permit  them  to  be  overpowered  by 
the  evil  ones.  Should  it  be  otherwise,  should  they  never  re- 
turn, I  should  be  inconsolable.  It  would  be  to  me  as  if  you 
yourself  had  died,  and  I  should  be  ready  to  stab  myself  to 
the  heart  at  the  thought  that  we  had  brought  them  here." 

"  I  could  not  live  after  it  either,  Maria ;  but,  as  you  say, 
I  will  trust  that  God  will  protect  them." 

He  cut  down  two  rods  and  fastened  them  together  in  the 
form  of  a  cross,  and  then  he  and  his  wife  knelt  before  it  and 
repeated  innumerable  paternosters  and  Ave  Marias,  crossing 
themselves  as  they  did  so. 

Jose,  as  soon  as  he  had  removed  the  burdens  from  the  mules 
and  turned  them  out  to  graze  at  the  edge  of  the  streamlet, 
came  and  joined  them  in  their  supplications,  occasionally 
breaking  off  from  the  repetition  of  the  only  prayers  he  knew, 
and  in  his  native  language  imploring  the  saints  to  protect 
their  friends. 

"  There  is  no  humbug  about  Dias,"  Bertie  said  as  they  left 
the  others.  "  He  is  really  in  a  blue  funk." 

"Yes,  he  is  quite  in  earnest;  and  we  know  that  he  is  no 
coward  in  other  matters." 

"  Certainly  not.  He  showed  any  amount  of  pluck  in  the 
affair  with  the  Indians.  But  he  seems  such  a  bright,  sensi- 
ble sort  of  chap,  that  it  is  quite  funny  to  hear  him  going  on 
about  his  demons.  I  should  not  be  surprised  at  anything  the 
ordinary  peasant  might  believe,  but  it  is  different  with  a  man 
like  Dias." 

"  You  know,  Bertie,"  Harry  said,  coming  to  a  sudden  stop, 
"  I  think  we  are  making  a  mistake  going  on  into  this  ravine. 
I  have  no  belief  that  the  place  is  inhabited;  still,  there  may 
be  desperadoes,  and  perhaps  a  few  fanatics.  It  is  quite  pos- 
sible that  a  certain  number  of  families  bound  themselves  to 


232          THE  TEEASURE  07  THE  INCAS 

keep  watch  here,  and  formed  a  little  community  that  has 
lasted  to  the  present  day." 

"  But  how  could  they  have  lived  ?  " 

"We  will  talk  that  over,  Bertie,  if  we  find  any  of  them 
there.  Now  we  must  turn  back.  It  is  not  more  than  a 
mile  at  the  outside  to  the  place  where  we  can  climb  the 
hillside.  In  that  way  we  shall  be  able  to  look  down  into  this 
ravine,  and  take  a  general  view  of  the  place.  We  shall  know 
what  we  are  doing  then,  whereas  if  we  were  to  go  on  through 
the  gorge  without  knowing  anything  about  it,  we  might 
find  ourselves  caught  in  a  trap.  It  won't  make  half  an  hour's 
difference,  for  the  ground  up  there  will  be  as  good  walking 
as  it 'is  here,  while  we  might  find  all  sorts  of  obstacles  in  this 
ravine,  and  with  two  guns  apiece,  ammunition,  pistols,  coils 
of  rope,  food,  and  so  on,  we  should  find  it  awkward  work 
climbing  among  heaps  of  rocks. 

"  You  were  saying,  How  could  a  group  of  people  exist  here 
for  centuries  without  any  communication  with  the  outside 
world?  Well,  I  don't  suppose  they  could.  They  might  get 
water  from  the  stream,  and  possibly  there  may  be  some  way 
of  getting  down  to  the  sea-shore;  anyhow,  this  stream  must 
find  a  passage  when  it  is  in  flood.  They  might  have  been 
able  to  get  enough  fish  for  their  wants;  but  a  fish-and-water 
diet  would  scarcely  be  sufficient. 

"At  the  same  time  we  are  by  no  means  sure  that  they 
could  have  had  no  communication  with  the  outside,  for  just 
as  some  families  may  have  been  ordered  to  live  here,  others 
may  have  been  instructed  to  supply  them  with  food.  The 
watchers  may  have  had  a  store  of  gold-dust  sufficient  to  last 
them  all  this  time,  and  their  friends  outside  may  have 
brought  them  a  sheep  or  two,  and  corn  and  other  articles 
of  necessity  once  a  week.  There  could  have  been  no  diffi- 
culty in  doing  so.  The  stories  of  demons,  and  probably  the 
murder  of  inquisitive  people  who  tried  to  pry  into  what  was 
going  on,  created  such  a  dread  of  the  place  that  those  in  the 
secret  would  come  and  go  without  the  slightest  difficulty. 


THE  CASTLE  OF  THE  DEMONS          233 

Conceivably,  young  men  may  from  time  to  time  have  gone 
out  for  a  year  into  the  world  and  brought  back  wives  with 
them,  or  girls  may  have  been  sent  by  the  people  in  league 
with  them  outside,  and  obtained  husbands,  which  is  less 
likely.  I  should  think  it  was  more  probable  that  young 
boys  and  girls  would  be  kidnapped,  and  brought  in  here  from 
time  to  time.  All  this  is  pure  guesswork,  of  course,  but 
nevertheless  there  may  be  people  here,  and  it  is  just  as  well 
to  take  a  look  round  from  above  before  we  trust  ourselves 
inside  the  place." 

On  gaining  the  plateau  they  followed  the  crest  of  the  val- 
ley until  they  came  to  a  spot  where  the  ravine  appeared  to 
end.  They  found  that  in  fact  it  made  a  sharp  turn.  It 
was  here  only  some  ten  feet  wide,  but  soon  broadened  out 
to  thirty.  Fifty  yards  farther  there  was  another  sharp  bend, 
the  ravine  narrowed  to  twenty  feet,  and  the  sides  became 
absolutely  perpendicular.  Twenty  yards  farther  still  they 
saw  something  like  a  wall  about  thirty  or  forty  feet  high 
stretching  across  the  gorge,  which  was  here  some  seventy  feet 
deep.  About  twenty  feet  from  the  foot  there  was  a  steep 
ascent  of  rocks,  such  as  might  have  fallen  there  by  a  slip 
from  one  side  or  the  other.  .  Above  these  a  perpendicular 
wall  rose  for  another  twenty-five  feet.  Harry  and  his  brother 
looked  at  it  in  surprise  from  the  height  at  which  they  stood. 
Its  appearance  was  precisely  that  of  the  wall-precipices  on 
each  side.  It  was  rough  and  uneven,  and  they  could  see  no 
signs  of  any  joints. 

"  It  looks  as  if  it  were  natural,"  Bertie  said,  "  but  it 
can't  be." 

"  No,  it  must  certainly  be  artificial,  but  it  is  a  wonderful 
imitation,  and  certainly  anyone  coming  up  the  ravine  would 
suppose  that  bank  of  rocks  at  the  foot  had  fallen  from  its 
face;  but  we  know  that  it  can't  be  that,  for  the  water  makes 
its  way  through.  Besides,  you  see  it  is  only  three  feet  wide 
at  the  top,  and  then  there  is  a  narrow  ledge  a  couple  of  feet 
wide,  which  was  evidently  made  for  the  garrison  to  stand 


234  THE  TREASUKE  OF  THE  IXCAS 

upon  and  shoot  their  arrows  at  anyone  attempting  to  come 
up  the  ravine.  Behind  the  slope  is  all  rough  rocks,  except 
just  below  our  feet,  where  there  is  a  narrow  stone  staircase 
of  regularly  cut  steps.  It  is  so  narrow  that  it  could  not  be 
noticed  by  anyone  standing  here,  unless  they  bent  over  to 
look  straight  down  as  I  am  doing.  Well,  it  is  just  as  well 
that  we  made  the  circuit,  for  we  certainly  could  not  have 
climbed  over  there." 

Another  sharp  turn,  and  the  ravine  ran  straight  towards 
the  castle.  They  hurried  on,  and  when  they  had  gone  fifty 
yards  stood  at  the  edge  of  a  roughly  circular  pit.  It  was 
seventy  or  eighty  feet  across,  narrowing  at  each  end.  At 
one  end  was  the  ravine  at  whose  mouth  they  were  standing, 
and  directly  opposite,  in  what  might  be  called  the  neck  of 
the  bottle,  stood  the  Castle  of  the  Demons.  It  was  some 
fifty  feet  in  width,  and  as  it  stood  back  about  forty  feet  up 
the  neck  it  could  hardly  be  seen  at  any  point  except  that  at 
which  they  were  standing.  There  was  no  door  or  other  open- 
ing at  less  than  some  twenty-five  feet  from  the  ground.  At 
that  height  was  a  broad  aperture  about  four  feet  high  and 
twelve  wide.  Above  this  were  several  smaller  openings  about 
four  feet  square.  The  singular  point  in  the  structure  was  a 
rough  arch  of  rock,  which  extended  above  it  and  formed  its 
roof.  This  arch  projected  thirty  or  forty  feet  in  front  of 
the  building,  so  that  the  latter  had  the  appearance  of  standing 
in  a  great  cave. 

"  What  an  extraordinary-looking  place !  "  Bertie  said  in 
a  low  voice. 

"  Extraordinary,  but  how  splendidly  chosen  for  conceal- 
ment !  You  see  the  top  of  the  rock  above  it  is  level  with 
the  ground  on  either  side.  This  would  perfectly  well  account 
for  people  riding  along  the  line  of  the  cliffs,  and  passing  over 
without  dreaming  that  there  was  a  house  below  them.  Even 
if  they  went  to  the  edge  on  this  side,  they  would  simply  see 
this  deep  pit  and  the  ravine  beyond,  but  could  not  by  any 
possibility  obtain  a  sight  of  the  house  unless  they  came  round 


THE  CASTLE  OF  THE  DEMONS          235 

to  nearly  where  we  are  standing,  which  they  could  have 
no  possible  motive  for  doing.  Besides,  you  see,  all  the  way 
we  have  been  passing  through  a  thick  bush;  and  I  have  no 
doubt  that  in  the  old  time  a  wood  stood  here,  possibly  planted 
by  the  builders  of  the  house.  Of  course  the  arch  existed 
before  the  house  was  built.  The  stratum  below  was  probably 
softer,  and  the  stream  gradually  trickled  through,  and  per- 
haps in  some  great  flood,  when  this  basin  was  full,  burst  its 
way  out,  after  which  the  rock  gradually  fell  until  it  formed 
that  great  natural  arch." 

"  Well,  let  us  go  round  and  have  a  look  at  the  other  side." 

They  found  that  the  width  of  the  arch  to  the  sea  cliff  was 
a  hundred  and  fifty  feet. 

"  If  the  castle  extends  to  this  face,  Bertie,  it  is  a  hundred 
feet  across,  but  from  here  we  can't  see  whether  it  does  so. 
It  is  probably  built  flush,  however,  as  Dias  said  that  it  was 
not  noticeable  from  the  sea,  and  had  the  arch  projected  be- 
yond it  it  could  certainly  have  been  seen." 

"  Well,  Harry,  if  you  will  tie  a  rope  round  my  waist  you 
can  let  me  down,  and  I  will  have  a  look  at  it.  You  can  hold 
me  easily  enough  if  you  stand  twenty  feet  back  from  the 
edge,  and  you  won't  have  to  pull  me  up,  because  I  can  easily 
climb  up  the  rope  by  myself.  I  need  not  go  down  more  than 
thirty  or  forty  feet,  and  I  can  do  that  easily  enough." 

"  Oh,  I  could  pull  you  up,  Bertie." 

"  Well,  you  could  do  that  if  by  any  chance  I  should  get 
tired;  then  I  could  give  a  shout,  and  you  could  haul  on  the 
rope." 

"  There  are  lots  of  stumps  of  trees  here,  Bertie,  and  I  can 
take  half  a  turn  round  one  of  them  and  so  let  you  down 
easily ;  then  when  you  shout  I  will  fasten  the  rope  there  and 
come  to  the  edge,  and  I  can  hear  whether  you  want  me  to 
haul  or  not.  Of  course  it  must  depend  whether  there  are 
any  jagged  rocks  sticking  out.  If  so,  it  would  be  better  for 
you  to  climb,  as  the  rope  might  chafe  against  them  if  I 
pulled." 


"236  THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  INCAS 

"  I  understand."  Bertie  laid  down  his  weapons  and  water- 
flask,  made  a  loop  at  the  end  of  one  of  the  ropes  they  had 
brought  large  enough  for  him  to  sit  in,  then  he  looked  for  a 
spot  where  the  short  grass  extended  to  the  very  edge.  "  This 
i*  a  good  place,  and  the  rope  won't  chafe  as  it  runs  over  that. 
Now  I  am  ready.  If  you  will  go  back  to  that  stump  fifteen 
feet  away  and  let  it  out  gradually,  I  will  be  off." 

He  knelt  down,  and  putting  the  rope  over  his  head  took 
a  firm  hold  of  it  just  above  the  loop,  and  then  crawled  back- 
wards, his  brother  keeping  the  rope  taut.  "  Slack  it  out 
gradually  now,"  Bertie  said;  "I  am  just  over." 

Directly  afterwards  his  shoulders  disappeared.  Harry  let 
the  rope  slowly  out  until  he  calculated  that  fifty  feet  were 
over  the  cliff,  then  he  fastened  it  very  securely  round  the 
stump  and  went  forward  to  the  edge. 

"  Are  you  all  right,  Bertie  ?  "  he  shouted. 

"  Quite  right." 

The  face  of  the  rock  was  very  even,  and  there  was  nothing 
for  the  rope  to  chafe  against.  Harry  lay  down  at  the  edge, 
keeping  a  firm  hold  of  the  rope  to  prevent  himself  from 
slipping  over,  and  was  able  to  look  down  on  Bertie. 

"Well,  Bertie,  what  is  it?" 

"  It  is  the  wall  of  the  house,  I  have  no  doubt,  but  it  is  so 
cleverly  built  that  I  can  scarcely  see  where  the  arch  ends 
and  the  house  begins.  Looking  quite  close  I  can  see  where 
the  stones  join,  but  their  face  has  been  left  rough;  and  as  it 
is  just  the  same  colour  as  the  rocks,  and  lines  have  been  cut 
down  its  face,  and  cracks  made  across  it  answering  to  the 
lines  in  the  rock  on  both  sides,  I  am  sure  I  should  not  have 
known  it  was  built  up  unless  I  had  examined  it.  It  is  much 
narrower  on  this  side  than  on  the  other — not  more  than 
twenty-five  feet,  I  should  say.  There  seem  to  be  some  irreg- 
ularly shaped  holes  in  what  looks  like  a  fissure  in  the  middle. 
I  suppose  they  are  to  light  the  rooms  on  this  side  of  the 
house,  but  they  are  certainly  too  small  to  be  noticed  from  the 
sea." 


INVESTIGATIONS  237 

"  Does  the  sea  come  right  up  to  the  foot  of  the  cliff  ? " 

It  was  a  minute  before  the  answer  came.  "  The  water 
comes  to  the  foot,  but  there  is  a  line  of  rocks  running  along 
forty  or  fifty  feet  farther  out.  Some  of  them  seem  to  be 
thirty  feet  out  of  the  water;  at  one  end  they  touch  the  cliff, 
and  at  the  other  there  is  a  free  passage.  The  water  is  very 
clear,  but  as  far  as  I  can  judge  I  should  say  there  is  a  depth 
of  a  fathom  or  a  fathom  and  a  half  between  the  rocks  and 
the  cliff.  Certainly  a  boat  could  row  into  a  position  under- 
neath where  I  am." 

"  Is  there  anything  more  ?  " 

"  No." 

"  You  don't  see  an  entrance  down  here  ? " 

"  No." 

"  All  right !  Then  you  may  as  well  come  up  again.  Can 
you  climb  up  ?  " 

"  Easily." 

"  Well,  hail  me  if  you  want  me  to  haul." 

Harry  went  back  to  the  stump,  unwound  the  rope  until 
it  was  only  half  a  turn  round  it,  and  then,  holding  it  firmly, 
stood  ready  to  haul  up. 


CHAPTER  XV 

INVESTIGATIONS 

HARRY  was  relieved  when,  a  few  minutes  later,  Bertie's 
head  appeared  above  the  edge,  and  directly  afterwards 
he  crawled  over.     "  My  arms  have  strengthened  ever  so  much 
with  our  work.    I  could  have  done  it  before,  but  it  would 
have  been  hard  work." 

"  Well,  so  far  so  good,  Bertie.  There  is  no  doubt  that  it 
is  one  of  the  best  hiding-places  in  the  world,  and  I  am  not 
a  bit  surprised  that  the  Spaniards  never  found  it.  Now  we 
will  go  back  to  the  edge  of  the  ravine  and  have  a  good  look 
from  that  side." 


238          THE  TKEASUEE  OF  THE  INCAS 

As  they  went  along  he  said,  "  Let  us  have  a  look  at  these 
bushes,  Bertie.  The  soil  is  very  thin  about  here,  and  I  won- 
der that  the  trees  grew." 

"  These  are  pines,"  Bertie  said,  "  and  in  the  mountains 
we  often  saw  pines  growing  among  rocks  where  there  did 
not  seem  a  handful  of  soil  for  them." 

On  examining  they  found  several  old  stumps,  and  thrust- 
ing a  ramrod  down  Harry  found,  to  his  surprise,  that  the 
soil  was  from  three  to  four  feet  deep.  He  tried  again  a 
little  farther  off,  and  found  that  it  was  two  feet;  further 
still,  it  was  only  one. 

"  The  tree  must  have  stood  in  a  hole  in  the  rock,"  he  said. 
"  Try  another  one,  Bertie."  The  same  results  were  obtained. 
"  That  explains  it,  Bert.  Evidently  when  they  planted  the 
trees  to  prevent  this  place  from  being  seen  from  the  hills, 
they  cut  away  the  rock  in  circles  about  twelve  feet  across 
and  made  cup-shaped  holes,  which  they  filled  up  with  earth. 
When  they  planted  the  young  trees  I  dare  say  at  first  they 
watered  them.  They  could  easily  enough  fetch  water  up 
from  the  stream.  When  the  trees  got  fairly  rooted  they 
would  be  able  to  leave  them  alone,  perhaps  giving  them  a 
good  watering  once  every  two  or  three  months.  Whenever 
the  rains  came  they  would  be  able  to  give  up  watering  alto- 
gether, for  in  these  basins  the  earth  would  keep  moist  for  a 
very  long  time.  It  would  be  a  big  job,  but  no  doubt  the 
king  who  built  the  place  had  all  his  tribe  at  work  on  it.  It 
is  probable  that  the  Incas  had  established  themselves  at 
Cuzco  for  many  years  before  they  came  down  to  this  place, 
and  the  trees  may  not  have  been  planted  till  their  coming 
was  first  heard  of.  In  that  case  there  would  be  plenty  of 
time  to  hide  the  place  before  they  came  down  and  searched 
the  shore.  We  know  that  the  Chimoos  resisted  them  for 
a  considerable  time  before  they  were  finally  conquered.  Well, 
for  whatever  purpose  this  place  was  built  it  is  one  in  which 
either  the  Chimoos  or  the  Incas,  if  they  ever  found  the  place, 
would  be  likely  to  hide  treasure,  which  is  satisfactory.  Now 


INVESTIGATIONS  239 

we  will  sit  down  here  for  a  short  time  and  watch  both  win- 
dows. You  look  at  the  two  top  lines,  Bertie,  and  I  will  look 
at  the  two  lower  lines.  I  certainly  do  not  see  any  signs  of 
life.  That  is  how  the  water  gets  out,"  and  he  pointed  to  a 
roughly  shaped  arch  about  twelve  feet  wide  and  as  many 
high.  Through  this  the  little  stream  disappeared,  "  I  ex- 
pect there  is  a  similar  passage  at  the  other  end." 

"  There  may  have  been,"  Bertie  said.  "  I  was  hanging  so 
close  to  the  wall  that  there  may  very  well  have  been  one 
without  my  being  able  to  see  it.  But  it  looks  pitch-dark 
in  there.  If  there  were  much  of  an  opening  we  ought  to 
see  the  light,  for,  as  we  agreed,  it  can't  be  more  than  a  hun- 
dred feet  long." 

"  That  is  the  first  place  we  will  investigate,  Bertie.  The 
question  of  how  we  are  to  get  into  the  house  wants  some 
thinking  over.  That  lowest  window  is  a  good  twenty-five 
feet  above  the  ground." 

"  Of  course  if  we  had  a  grapnel  we  could  fasten  it  to  the 
end  of  a  rope  and  chuck  it  in." 

"  We  shall  have  to  make  something  of  that  sort.  If  the 
window  had  been  on  the  other  side  instead  of  this  it  would 
have  been  easy  enough,  because  I  could  have  lowered  you 
and  slipped  down  the  rope  afterwards,  but  that  arch  sticking 
out  so  far  on  this  side  makes  it  impossible.  All  that  we  can 
do  now  is,  as  far  as  I  can  see,  to  lower  ourselves  down  on  to 
the  top  of  that  wall  in  the  ravine,  then  go  and  examine  the 
tunnel.  We  have  got  plenty  of  rope  to  lower  ourselves  from 
here  on  to  the  wall." 

They  watched  the  building  for  another  twenty  minutes, 
"I  am  convinced  that  no  one  is  there,"  Harry  said.  "I 
have  not  seen  as  much  as  a  shadow  pass  any  of  the  windows 
since.  If  people  did  live  in  it  they  would  naturally  be  on 
this  side  of  the  house,  because  the  rooms  here  are  better 
lighted  and  more  cheerful,  and  no  doubt  they  are  the  princi- 
pal rooms,  as  the  house  narrows  so  much  at  the  other  end." 

"Well,  let  us  try  it,"  Bertie  said.    "If  there  is  a  strong 


240          THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  INCAS 

force  here  we  should  only  have  to  make  a  bolt  back  to  that 
narrow  staircase.  We  could  hold  that  against  a  whole 
tribe." 

They  rose  and  walked  along  the  edge  of  the  ravine  till 
they  were  above  the  wall,  then,  fastening  the  rope  to  a  stump, 
they  slid  down  on  to  it. 

"  So  far  so  good,"  Harry  said,  as,  holding  their  rifles  in 
their  hands,  they  went  down  the  steps.  Then  he  suddenly 
stopped.  "  Hullo,"  he  exclaimed,  "  here  are  two  skeletons !  " 

They  were  not  quite  skeletons,  for  the  bones  were  covered 
by  a  parchment-like  skin,  and  there  were  still  remains  of 
the  short  skirt  each  had  worn  in  life.  A  spear  lay  beside 
each.  With  difficulty  the  brothers  passed  down  without 
treading  upon  them. 

"  They  must  have  been  here  a  long  time,  Harry,"  Bertie 
said  when  they  got  to  the  bottom. 

"  Any  time,"  the  other  said.  "  In  the  dry  air  of  these 
low  lands  there  is  scarce  any  decay.  You  remember  those 
mummies  we  saw.  I  believe  iron  or  steel  will  lie  here  for 
years  without  rusting.  They  may  have  been  here  for  a 
couple  of  hundred  years  or  more." 

"  I  wonder  what  killed  them,  Harry  ?  " 

"  I  have  no  idea.  You  see,  one  was  lying  almost  on  the 
other  with  his  arms  round  his  body,  as  if  he  had  died  trying 
to  lift  him  up.  If  they  had  been  shot  by  arrows  they  would 
still  be  sticking  into  them;  if  they  had  been  killed  by  people 
pursuing  them  they  would  probably  be  lying  upon  their  backs, 
for  they  would  naturally  have  faced  round  at  the  last  moment 
to  resist  their  pursuers,  whereas  there  are  no  signs  of  injury. 
This  settles  the  point  that  there  is  no  one  in  the  house.  Had 
it  been  inhabited,  the  bodies  would  have  been  removed  from 
the  path,  for  it  is  by  this  that  people  would  go  out  and  return. 
There  may  have  been  a  ladder  down  from  the  wall ;  the  only 
other  way  they  could  have  got  out  would  have  been  through 
that  passage  to  the  sea.  A  boat  may  have  been  kept  there; 
but  even  if  that  had  been  so,  we  should  scarcely  have  found 


INVESTIGATIONS  241 

those  bodies  on  the  steps.  Well,  we  shall  have  plenty  of 
time  to  talk  over  that." 

They  walked  across  the  open  space  until  they  approached 
the  building.  For  a  height  of  twenty  feet  it  was  constructed 
of  stone,  above  that  it  appeared  to  be  made  of  the  great  adobe 
bricks  which  had  been  so  largely  used  at  Pachacamac,  and 
in  others  of  the  old  ruins  they  had  seen. 

"  There  is  no  question  that  it  must  have  been  built  by 
the  Chimoos  or  some  race  before  them,"  Harry  said ;  "  the 
Incas  could  have  had  no  possible  reason  for  erecting  such 
a  place.  Well,  now  for  the  tunnel." 

The  little  stream  only  occupied  two  feet  of  the  passage. 
They  were  therefore  enabled  to  walk  down  dry-foot. 

"  We  ought  to  have  brought  a  torch  with  us,"  Bertie  said. 

"  I  don't  think  we  shall  want  that ;  there  is  a  sort  of  thin 
blue  light,  the  reflection  of  the  light  upon  the  water  outside, 
though  I  don't  know  why  it  should  be  so  blue." 

The  reason  was  soon  manifest.  The  passage  sloped  down- 
wards, and  when  they  had  gone  some  fifty  feet  their  progress 
was  arrested  by  water  which  appeared  of  a  deep-blue  colour. 

"  That  is  it,"  Harry  said.  "  You  see  the  roof  comes  down 
into  the  water  twenty  feet  off,  and  the  light  has  come  up 
under  it.  They  sloped  this  passage  to  make  the  water  flow 
out  below  the  surface  of  the  sea,  so  that  the  opening  could 
not  be  seen  from  without.  By  the  light  I  should  not  say 
that  the  opening  is  more  than  six  inches  under  the  water. 
I  don't  know  how  the  tides  are,  but  if  it  is  high  tide 
now,  the  top  of  the  opening  would  be  eighteen  inches  out 
of  water  at  low  tide,  for,  as  you  know,  the  tide  only  rises 
about  two  feet  on  this  coast.  In  that  case  a  boat  would 
be  able  to  come  in  and  out  at  low  tide,  but  of  course  a  man 
wanting  to  come  in  or  go  out  could  easily  dive  under  at  any 
time.  Well,  that  settles  that  point  for  the  present.  It  was 
a  clever  plan;  any  amount  of  water  could  flow  out  in  flood 
time,  and  yet  no  one  who  took  the  trouble  to  come  behind 
that  ledge  of  rocks  we  saw  would  have  any  idea  that  there 


242          THE  TEEASUEE  OF  THE  INCAS 

was  an  opening.  I  think  now  that  we  had  better  go  back, 
Bertie;  in  the  first  place  because  we  can  do  nothing  until 
we  have  manufactured  a  grapnel  of  some  sort,  and  in  the 
next  place  because  every  moment  we  delay  will  add  to  the 
anxiety  of  our  friends  in  camp.  We  must  have  been  away 
three  hours,  I  should  say." 

They  ascended  the  steps,  fastened  the  short  rope  round 
a  block  at  the  top  of  the  wall  across  the  ravine,  and  lowered 
themselves  down.  They  had  to  proceed  with  great  care  while 
making  their  way  down  the  slope  composed  of  rough  and 
jagged  rocks.  Once  at  the  bottom  of  the  ravine,  however, 
they  walked  briskly  on.  They  had  scarcely  issued  from  the 
entrance  when  they  saw  a  stir  in  the  camp  in  the  distance 
and  heard  a  shout  of  delight,  and  then  Dias  dashed  off  to 
meet  them  at  the  top  of  his  speed. 

"  Thanks  to  all  the  saints,  senor,  that  you  are  safe !  You 
do  not  know  how  we  have  suffered.  We  have  prayed  ever 
since  you  started,  all  of  us.  Once  or  twice  I  threw  myself 
down  in  despair,  but  Maria  chided  me  for  having  so  little 
faith  in  God  to  keep  you  from  evil,  and  cheered  me  by  say- 
ing that  had  harm  come  to  you  we  should  assuredly  have 
heard  the  sound  of  your  guns.  Have  you  been  in  the 
castle?" 

"  No,  Dias,  we  have  not  been  in — for  the  good  reason  that 
we  could  not  get  in,  because  the  only  entrance  is  fully  twenty- 
five  feet  from  the  ground.  We  cannot  enter  until  we  have 
made  some  contrivance  by  which  a  rope  can  be  fixed  there, 
or  manufactured  a  ladder,  which  would  be  the  best  way  and 
save  a  lot  of  trouble,  if  we  could  get  a  couple  of  poles  long 
enough.  We  thought  that  we  would  come  back  when  we 
had  seen  all  there  was  to  be  seen  outside  the  place." 

The  Indian's  face  fell.  "  Then  you  do  not  know  what  is 
in  the  house,  senor?" 

"No;  but  we  are  certain  that  there  is  no  one  there,  and 
that  probably  no  one  has  been  there  for  the  past  two  hundred 
years,  and  perhaps  a  good  deal  longer." 


INVESTIGATIONS  243 

"  And  the  demons  have  not  interfered  with  you  ?  " 

"  The  demons  knew  better,"  Bertie  laughed. 

"  They  may  not  be  powerful  in  the  daytime,"  Dias  said  in 
an  awed  tone.  "  It  is  at  night  that  they  would  be  terrible." 

"Well,  Dias,"  Bertie  said,  "everyone  knows  that  the 
demons  cannot  withstand  the  sign  of  the  cross.  All  you 
have  to  do  is  to  make  a  small  cross,  hold  it  up  in  front  of 
you  and  say,  '  Vade  retro,  Satanas!'  and  they  will  fly  howl- 
ing away." 

"  Seriously,"  Harry  said,  "  you  know  it  is  all  bosh  about 
demons,  Dias." 

"  But  the  church  exorcises  evil  spirits.  I  have  seen  a  priest 
go  with  candles  and  incense  to  a  haunted  house,  and  drive 
out  the  evil  spirits  there." 

"  That  is  to  say,  Dias,  no  spirits  were  ever  seen  there 
afterwards,  and  we  may  be  very  certain  that  no  spirits  were 
ever  seen  there  before,  though  cowardly  people  might  have 
fancied  they  saw  them.  However,  to-morrow  we  shall  get 
inside,  and  Bertie  and  I  will  stop  there  all  night,  and  if  we 
neither  see  nor  hear  anything  of  them  you  may  be  quite 
sure  that  there  are  none  there." 

"  But  the  traditions  say  they  have  strangled  many  and  torn 
them,  senor;  their  bodies  have  been  found  in  the  daytime 
and  carried  off." 

"  It  is  quite  possible  that  they  were  strangled  and  torn 
there,  but  you  may  be  sure  that  it  was  the  work  not  of 
demons,  but  of  the  men  who  were  set  to  guard  the  place  from 
intruders.  Well,  those  men  have  gone.  We  found  two 
skeletons,  which  must  have  been  there  at  least  a  hundred 
years,  perhaps  a  great  deal  more.  They  were  lying  on  the 
stairs,  the  only  way  of  getting  into  the  place,  and  they  would 
have  been  removed  long  ago  if  anyone  had  been  passing  in 
or  out." 

By  this  time  they  had  arrived  at  the  camp.  "  I  knew  you 
would  come  back  all  safe,  senors,"  Donna  Maria  said  tri- 
umphantly ;  "  I  told  Dias  so  over  and  over  again.  But  what 
have  you  seen  ? " 


244          THE  TREASUKE  OF  THE  INCAS 

"  I  see  something  now — or  rather  I  don't  see  something 
now  that  I  should  like  to  see,"  Bertie  laughed.  "  I  thought 
you  would  have  got  a  good  dinner  ready  for  me,  but  I  do  not 
see  any  signs  of  its  being  even  begun." 

The  woman  laughed.  "I  have  been  too  busy  praying, 
senor,  and  have  been  keeping  up  Dias's  spirits.  I  never  knew 
him  faint-hearted  before,  and  it  really  almost  frightened  me ; 
but  I  will  set  about  getting  dinner  at  once." 

"No,  no,"  Harry  said;  "we  are  really  not  hungry.  We 
had  a  good  meal  before  we  started.  So  do  you  three  sit  down 
and  I  will  tell  you  all  we  have  seen." 

The  three  natives  listened  with  intense  interest.  When 
he  had  done,  Maria  clapped  her  hands.  "  It  must  be  a  won- 
derful place,"  she  said.  "I  wish  I  had  gone  with  you.  I 
will  go  to-morrow  if  you  will  take  me." 

"  Certainly  we  will  take  you,  Maria ;  and  I  have  no  doubt 
that  Bias  will  go  too." 

"  I  will  go  as  far  as  the  place,"  said  Dias,  "  but  I  will  not 
promise  to  go  in." 

"I  won't  press  you,  Dias.  When  we  have  slept  there  a 
night  I  have  no  doubt  you  will  become  convinced  that  it  is 
quite  safe.  And  now  about  the  ladder.  We  shall  really  want 
two  to  be  comfortable — one  for  getting  up  to  the  window, 
that  must  be  made  of  wood;  the  other,  which  will  be  used 
for  getting  up  and  down  the  wall  in  the  ravine,  may  be  made 
of  ropes.  But  I  think  that  that  had  best  be  hung  from  the 
top  of  the  ravine  above  it,  so  as  to  avoid  having  to  climb 
over  those  rough  stones  at  the  foot,  which  are  really  very 
awkward.  One  might  very  well  twist  one's  ankle  among 
them." 

"I  will  go  at  once,  senor,  and  get  the  poles,"  Dias  said. 
"You  may  as  well  come  with  me,  Jose.  We  passed  a  wood 
in  the  valley  about  five  miles  off;  there  we  can  cut  down  a 
couple  of  young  trees.  If  we  put  the  saddles  on  two  of  the 
riding  mules,  when  we  have  got  the  poles  clear  we  can  fasten 
the  ends  to  ropes  and  trail  them  behind  us." 


INVESTIGATIONS  245 

"We  shall  also  want  some  of  the  branches  you  cut  off, 
Dias.  You  had  better  say  thirty  lengths  of  about  two  feet 
long,  so  that  we  may  place  the  rungs  nine  inches  apart.  You 
had  better  get  poles  thirty  feet  long,  for  we  may  not  have 
just  the  height  by  a  couple  of  feet." 

The  two  natives  at  once  rode  off,  and  the  brothers  set  to 
work  to  collect  sticks  for  the  fire. 

"  It  is  too  bad,  senors,  that  this  should  not  have  been  done 
while  you  were  away,  but  we  thought  of  nothing  but  your 
danger." 

"  You  were  perfectly  right,  Maria ;  if  we  were  in  peril, 
you  did  the  best  thing  of  all  to  obtain  help  for  us.  As  to 
the  dinner,  there  is  no  hurry  whatever  for  it.  What  have 
you  got  to  eat  ? " 

"  There  is  nothing,  senor,  but  a  few  of  the  fish  we  fried 
two  days  ago,  and  the  ham  that  we  smoked  of  that  bear." 

"  I  will  take  the  line,  then,  and  go  down  and  try  to  catch 
some  fresh  fish,"  Bertie  said.  "  There  is  a  good-sized  pool 
about  half-way  between  here  and  the  ravine.  I  might  get 
some  fish  there." 

"I  will  take  my  gun,  Bertie,  and  go  up  to  the  bushes  by 
the  ravine,  and  see  if  I  can  get  a  bird  or  two.  There  is  no 
other  shelter  anywhere  about  here." 

In  half  an  hour  the  lad  brought  a  dozen  fish  into  the  camp. 
None  of  them  were  above  half  a  pound,  but  they  were  nearly 
of  a  size. 

"  These  will  be  very  nice,"  the  woman  said  with  a  smile 
as  he  handed  them  to  her.  "  I  have  thrown  away  the  others. 
I  do  not  think  we  dried  them  enough;  they  were  certainly 
going  bad.  I  have  heard  your  brother  fire  several  times,  and 
as  he  does  not  often  miss,  I  have  no  doubt  he  will  bring  us 
something." 

Twenty  minutes  later  Harry  was  seen  coming  along. 
When  he  arrived  he  threw  down  a  large  bunch  of  wild 
pigeons. 

"  There  are  ten  brace,"  he  said.    "  That  will  give  us  four 


246          THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  INCAS 

apiece.  I  found  nothing  in  the  bushes,  but  I  suddenly  re- 
membered that  when  we  went  across  from  the  ravine  to  the 
house,  lots  of  wild  pigeons  rose  from  the  sides  of  the  rocks. 
We  did  not  give  them  a  thought  at  the  time,  our  attention 
being  fixed  upon  the  building.  But  when  I  got  nothing 
above,  I  suddenly  remembered  them,  and  concluded  that  they 
had  their  nests  in  the  crannies  of  the  rocks.  So  I  walked 
along  to  the  top,  and  as  I  did  so  numbers  of  them  flew  up. 
I  shot  a  couple;  most  of  the  others  soon  settled  again,  but 
some  kept  flying  round  and  round,  and  in  ten  minutes  I  got 
as  many  as  I  wanted.  Then  of  course  I  had  to  go  down  into 
the  ravine  by  the  rope  and  the  steps  to  gather  them  up.  I 
returned  the  way  we  did,  by  the  rope  we  had  left  hanging 
from  the  top  of  the  wall." 

Maria  was  already  at  work  on  the  birds.  Taking  them 
by  the  legs,  she  dipped  them  for  a  minute  into  a  pot  of  boil- 
ing water,  and  as  she  took  them  out  Bertie  pulled  off  the 
feathers.  Then  she  cut  off  the  heads  and  feet,  cleaned  them, 
and  spitted  them  on  Jose's  ramrod,  and,  raking  out  a  line  of 
embers  from  the  fire,  laid  the  ends  of  the  ramrod  on  two 
forked  twigs  while  she  attended  to  the  fish. 

"But  they  will  be  done  before  the  others  arrive,"  Bertie 
said. 

"  No,  senor ;  there  they  come !  They  will  be  here  in  a 
quarter  of  an  hour.  The  cakes  are  ready  and  hot,  so  we  will 
lay  the  pigeons  on  them,  and  they  will  be  nicely  flavoured  by 
the  time  that  we  have  eaten  the  fish  and  are  ready  for  them." 

Dias  and  Jose  soon  arrived  at  a  gallop,  with  the  long  poles 
trailing  behind  them  and  a  fagot  of  short  sticks  fastened 
to  each  saddle. 

"  Those  are  capital  poles,  Dias,"  Harry  said  as  he  examined 
them — "  strong  enough  for  anything.  We  will  chop  notches 
in  them  for  the  rungs  to  lie  in.  There  will  be  no  fear  then 
of  their  shifting,  which  they  might  do  if  the  lashings 
stretched.  Now,  we  have  got  a  capital  dinner  just  done  to 
a  turn,  so  you  see  we  have  not  been  lazy  while  you  were 
away. 


INVESTIGATIONS  247 

"  You  see,"  lie  said,  after  they  had  finished  breakfast,  "  my 
shooting  has  quite  settled  the  point  that  no  Indians  are  in 
the  castle.  If  there  had  been  they  would  certainly  have  come 
to  the  windows  to  see  who  was  firing.  I  kept  an  eye  on  the 
castle  between  each  shot,  and  saw  no  signs  of  any  movement. 
It  is  a  capital  thing  that  so  many  pigeons  live  among  the 
rocks.  If  we  content  ourselves  with  say  five  brace  a  day, 
they  will  last  us  a  long  time,  and  will  be  a  change  from  salt 
and  dried  meat,  which  we  should  otherwise  have  to  depend 
upon,  for  we  cannot  be  sending  away  for  fresh  meat  two  or 
three  times  a  week.  We  can  get  fish,  though  I  don't  suppose 
that  will  last  very  long,  for  the  pool  will  soon  be  fished  out, 
and  I  don't  think  that  there  is  water  enough  in  other  places 
for  fish  of  that  size." 

"  We  can  get  them  from  the  sea,  Harry.  We  have  got 
plenty  of  large  hooks  and  lines,  which  we  used  on  the  other 
side  of  the  mountains.  If  any  of  the  window  openings  on 
that  side  are  large  enough,  we  can  let  down  the  lines  from 
there.  If  not,  we  can  do  it  from  the  top  where  I  went 
down." 

"  I  should  not  like  that,"  Harry  said.  "  One  might  slip 
on  that  short  grass." 

"  Well,  one  could  dive  out  through  the  passage  and  sit  on 
that  ledge  of  rocks,  and  fish  either  inside  them  or  in  the  sea 
outside." 

"Yes,  we  might  do  that,  Bertie,  and  certainly  it  would 
be  a  first-rate  thing  if  we  could  get  plenty  of  fish.  It  would 
keep  us  in  good  health  and  make  a  nice  change.  I  think  to- 
morrow morning,  Dias,  we  had  better  fix  our  camp  close  up 
to  the  mouth  of  the  ravine.  Out  here  in  the  open  valley 
we  can  be  seen  from  the  hills,  and  if  anyone  caught  sight  of 
the  animals,  it  would  very  soon  get  talked  about,  and  we 
should  have  a  party  down  here  to  see  who  we  were  and  what 
we  were  about." 

"Yes,  senor,  that  would  be  much  better.  I  should  not 
have  liked  to  go  nearer  this  morning ;  but  now  that  you  have 


248  THE  TREASUEE  OF  THE  INCAS 

been  there  twice,  and  have  returned  safely,  I  am  ready  to 
move." 

"It  would  certainly  be  better;  besides,  it  would  save  us 
a  couple  of  miles'  walk  each  time  we  wanted  a  meal.  How- 
ever, when  we  once  set  to  work  I  have  no  doubt  we  shall 
establish  ourselves  in  the  castle.  Of  course  one  of  us  will 
come  down  morning  and  evening  to  see  to  the  animals." 

As  soon  as  the  meal  was  finished  they  set  to  work  to  make 
the  ladder.  A  short  stick  was  cut  as  a  guide  to  the  space 
that  was  to  be  left  between  the  rungs.  Bertie  and  Jose 
marked  off  the  distances  on  the  two  poles,  and  Dias  and 
Harry  with  their  axes  cut  the  grooves  in  which  the  sticks 
•were  to  lie.  Then  the  poles  were  laid  a  foot  apart,  and  the 
work  of  pressing  the  sticks  into  their  places  began.  They 
agreed  that  the  ropes  should  not  be  cut  up,  as  they  would 
be  wanted  for  fastening  on  the  loads  whenever  the  mules 
went  to  fetch  food  or  powder.  Two  of  the  head-ropes  were 
used  on  each  side,  and  a  firm  job  was  made. 

"  When  you  go,  Dias,  for  the  powder  and  so  on,  you  must 
get  another  supply  of  rope.  We  shall  want  a  longer  ladder 
than  this  in  the  ravine,  and  also  a  rope  to  lift  powder  and 
firewood  and  so  on  into  the  castle,  and  perhaps  for  other 
things  that  one  does  not  think  of  at  present.  To-morrow 
we  will  unfasten  the  cord  by  which  we  descended  to  the  wall, 
as  we  shall  not  want  to  use  that  in  future.  I  think  to- 
morrow, when  we  go  to  the  castle,  as  you  and  Jose  do  not 
mean  to  accompany  us,  you  might  take  your  axes  and  cut 
down  a  lot  of  those  stumps  among  the  brushwood,  split  them 
up,  and  pitch  them  into  the  courtyard  of  the  castle.  It 
would  be  well  to  lay  in  a  good  stock  of  firewood.  We  shall 
"want  it  for  cooking  and  lighting  of  an  evening.  We  have 
only  one  or  two  torches  left,  and  we  shall  want  a  cheerful 
fire." 

"  I  may  go  with  you  to-morrow,  may  I  not  ? "  Maria 
said. 

"  Certainly  you  may,  if  you  wish." 


HAUHY     DROPPED     THE     BARREL     OF    HIS    RIFLE    INTO    THE    PALM 
OF    1IIS    LEFT    HAND 


INVESTIGATIONS  249 

"  I  should  like  to,"  she  said.  "  In  your  company  I  shaVt 
be  a  bit  afraid  of  demons;  and  I  want  to  see  the  place." 

"  That  is  right,  Maria,  and  it  shows  at  any  rate  that  your 
curiosity  is  stronger  than  your  superstition." 

"If  Maria  goes  I  will  go,"  Dias  said.  "I  don't  like  it; 
but  if  she  went  and  I  didn't  I  should  never  hear  the  last 
of  it." 

"Very  well,"  Harry  said  with  a  laugh,  "I  do  think  she 
would  have  the  better  of  you  in  the  future  if  you  didn't. 
So  you  see  you  will  be  both  conquering  your  superstitions 
— she,  because  her  curiosity  is  greater;  you,  because  you  are 
more  afraid  of  her  tongue  than  you  are  of  the  demons." 

"  A  woman  never  forgets,  senor ;  if  she  once  has  something 
to  throw  up  in  a  man's  teeth  it  comes  out  whenever  she  is 
angry." 

"  I  suppose  so,  Dias.  Bertie  and  I  have  had  no  experience 
that  way,  but  we  will  take  your  word  for  it." 

The  next  morning  they  moved  the  mules  and  all  their  be- 
longings to  the  extreme  end  of  the  valley.  Then  they  had 
an  early  breakfast.  Jose  took  up  his  axe  and  the  others 
their  arms;  the  former  turned  back  for  the  point  where  he 
could  climb  the  hill.  Dias  and  Harry  took  the  heavy  end 
of  the  ladder,  Bertie  the  light  one,  and  they  started  up  the 
ravine.  Maria  followed  with  a  store  of  bread  that  she  had 
baked  the  day  before.  It  was  hard  work  carrying  the  lad- 
der up  the  rocks  at  the  foot  of  the  wall.  When  it  was 
securely  fastened  there,  they  mounted  and  dragged  it  up  to 
them. 

When  they  came  out  into  the  open  space  there  was  a  pause. 
"  It  is,  as  you  said,  a  strange  place,  senor." 

"It  is,  Dias,  an  extraordinary  place;  and  if  the  people 
who  built  it  wanted,  as  I  suppose  they  did,  to  avoid  obser- 
vation, they  could  not  have  chosen  a  better.  When  those 
trees  were  growing  it  would  have  been  impossible  to  catch, 
sight  of  them  without  coming  down  the  ravine." 

"  It  looks  very  still,"  Dias  said  in  ^.doubtful  voice. 


250          THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  INCAS 

"  That  is  generally  the  case  when  a  place  is  empty,  Bias. 
Now  let  us  go  on  at  once  and  get  the  ladder  up." 

As  soon  as  the  ladder  was  in  position  Harry  mounted, 
closely  followed  by  Bertie.  Dias  hesitated;  but  a  merry 
laugh  from  his  wife  settled  the  point,  and  he  followed  with 
an  expression  of  grave  determination  on  his  face.  As  soon 
as  he  was  on  the  ladder  his  wife  followed  him  with  a  light 
step. 

As  Harry  reached  the  top,  he  found  that  the  sill  of  the 
window  was  two  feet  and  a  half  above  the  floor  of  the  apart- 
ment. He  stepped  down  and  then  looked  round.  The  room 
occupied  the  whole  width  of  the  house,  and  was  some  twenty 
feet  wide.  Four  rows  of  pillars  ran  across  it,  supporting 
the  roof  above.  The  ends  of  the  room  were  in  semi-darkness. 
It  was  not  above  ten  feet  in  height.  There  were  rude  carv- 
ings on  the  pillars  and  the  walls. 

By  the  time  he  had  made  these  observations  the  others  had 
joined  him.  "  I  see  people  there,"  Dias  said,  in  an  awed 
voice,  pointing  to  one  end  of  the  room.  Harry  dropped  the 
barrel  of  his  rifle  into  the  palm  of  his  left  hand.  After  gaz- 
ing two  seconds  he  placed  it  on  his  shoulder,  saying,  "  There 
are  people,  Dias,  but  they  won't  do  us  any  harm ; "  and  he 
walked  in  that  direction.  Two  figures  lay  on  the  ground; 
four  others  were  in  a  sitting  position,  close  to  each  other, 
against  the  end  wall.  Some  bows  and  arrows  and  spears  lay 
near  them.  All  were  dressed  in  a  garment  of  rough  cloth. 
Harry  walked  up  to  one  and  touched  it  on  the  head  with  the 
muzzle  of  his  gun.  As  he  did  so  it  crumbled  away ;  the  bones 
rattled  on  the  stone  floor  as  they  fell.  Donna  Maria  gave 
a  little  cry. 

"  They  are  dead !  "  she  exclaimed.  "  They  must  have  been 
dead  years  and  years  ago." 

"Two  or  three  hundred,  I  should  think.  Your  legends 
are  evidently  true,  Dias.  There  was  a  party  left  here  to 
keep  strangers  from  entering  this  place.  Now,  before  we 
go  further,  let  us  think  this  out.  We  will  sit  down  on  the 


INVESTIGATIONS  251 

ledge  of  the  window.  But  before  we  do  so,  take  a  good  look 
at  their  arms  and  skulls,  Dias.  You  have  often  been  with 
travellers  to  the  ruins;  let  us  hear  what  you  say." 

Dias,  who  was  now  assured  that  he  had  only  to  deal  with 
human  beings,  examined  them  carefully,  looking  at  the  orna- 
ments that  still  hung  round  their  necks,  and  then  saidr 
"  They  are  not  the  old  people,  senor ;  these  were  Incas." 

"  That  is  an  important  point ;  now  let  us  see  how  this  is 
to  be  explained.  Now,"  he  said,  as  they  sat  down,  "  it  is 
clear  that  the  Incas  did  know  this  building.  They  may  have 
discovered  treasures  here  or  they  may  not ;  but  it  would  cer- 
tainly seem  that  they  were  as  anxious  as  the  Chimoos  had' 
been  to  keep  its  existence  a  secret,  and  it  is  certain  that  they 
must  have  had  some  interest  in  doing  so.  We  have  reason- 
to  believe  that  the  Spaniards  at  least  did  not  know  of  it. 
There  is  no  doubt  whatever  that  these  men  were  not  killed-' 
in  fight;  on  the  contrary,  their  sitting  position  proves  that 
they  died  quietly,  and  probably  at  the  same  time.  We  see 
no  signs  of  food;  we  may  find  some  as  we  search  the  place. 
If  we  do  not,  we  must  take  it  that  they  either  died  from  an 
outbreak  of  some  epidemic  or  from  hunger.  And  it  is  quite 
probable  that  the  two  skeletons  on  the  steps  were  two  of  their 
companions  who  were  going  out  to  seek  for  food,  and  that 
they  fell  from  weakness ;  one  clearly  died  in  the  act  of  trying 
to  lift  the  other.  What  do  you  think  of  that,  Dias  ? " 

"I  think  that  what  you  say  is  likely.  But  why  should 
they  have  died  from  hunger  ? " 

"  It  is  probable  that  others  were  in  the  secret,  and  were 
in  the  habit  of  bringing  provisions  to  them,  and  perhaps  of 
relieving  them  at  certain  periods.  We  know  that  there  were 
fierce  battles  in  the  early  times  of  the  Spaniards.  In  one 
of  these  battles  the  whole  of  those  who  were  acquainted  with 
the  secret  may  have  fallen.  Or  it  may  have  been  earlier 
after  the  conquest  had  been  completed,  when  the  Spaniards 
drove  tens  of  thousands  of  men  to  work  as  slaves  in  the  mines. 
The  people  here  may  have  remained  at  their  post,  hoping  for 


252          THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  INCAS 

relief  until  it  was  too  late.  Two  of  the  strongest  may  have 
started  at  last,  but  have  been  too  weak  to  climb  the  steps, 
and  died  there.  Their  comrades  may  have  never  known  their 
fate,  but  have  sat  down  to  die  here,  as  you  see.  I  should 
think  it  probable  that  the  second  of  my  suggestions  is  likely 
to  be  the  right  one,  and  that  this  did  not  take  place  until 
perhaps  a  hundred  years  after  the  arrival  of  the  Spaniards, 
otherwise  those  legends  of  men  who  came  near  this  place 
being  killed  would  never  have  been  handed  down.  If  all  this 
is  as  I  suggest,  either  the  Incas  knew  that  the  Chimoos  had 
buried  treasure  here,  or  they  themselves  buried  some,  al- 
though, as  you  say,  there  is  no  tradition  of  treasure  having 
been  taken  here.  But  it  is  possible  that  that  treasure  ship, 
which  undoubtedly  sailed  from  some  place  along  the  coast 
and  was  never  again  heard  of,  really  came  here;  that  her 
treasure  was  landed,  and  the  vessel  then  destroyed.  In  either 
case,  there  is  strong  reason  for  hope  that  there  is  treasure 
somewhere  in  this  castle  if  we  can  but  find  it." 

"  We  will  find  it,"  Bertie  said  confidently.  "  What  you 
say  must  be  true.  These  Indians  would  never  have  been 
fools  enough  to  sit  here  and  die  without  some  good  reason 
for  it.  Well,  I  vote  that  before  we  do  anything  else  we  clear 
these  bones  out." 

"  We  can  do  that  the  first  thing  to-morrow  morning,  Ber- 
tie. We  can't  just  throw  them  out  of  the  window.  The 
bones  are  of  men  who  died  doing  their  duty  to  their  country. 
We  will  leave  them  as  they  are  to-day,  and  to-morrow  we 
will  bring  up  one  of  the  big  leather  bags,  place  the  bones 
in  it,  and  take  them  down  into  the  valley  and  bury  them." 

"  Then  you  won't  sleep  here  to-night,  Harry  ? " 

"  No ;  I  have  not  a  shadow  of  superstition,  but  I  do  not 
think  it  would  be  lively  here  with  those  things  at  the  end 
of  the  room.  Now,  let  us  look  about  a  bit. 

"  This  was  evidently  the  great  hall  of  the  place ;  do  you 
not  think  so,  Bias  ?  " 

"Yes,  senor;  the  house  gets  narrower  as  it  nears  the  sea. 


INVESTIGATIONS  253 

This  is  by  far  the  best  lighted  room  on  this  side.  No  doubt 
the  rooms  on  this  floor  were  the  abode  of  the  chief  who 
built  it,  and  his  principal  followers;  the  others  would  be 
above." 

"  Well,  we  will  light  the  two  torches.  Yes,  there  is  no 
doubt  that  this  was  the  room.  You  see  there  are  brackets 
against  all  the  pillars  for  holding  torches.  Before  we  go 
farther  we  will  see  what  they  are  made  of." 

He  took  his  knife  out  of  his  pocket  and  went  up  to  one 
of  the  brackets,  which  consisted  of  bars  of  metal  an  inch 
and  a  half  square  and  eighteen  inches  long.  They  widened 
out  at  the  end,  and  here  was  a  round  hole  about  two  inches 
in  diameter,  evidently  intended  to  put  the  torch  in.  The 
metal  was  black  with  age.  He  scraped  a  few  inches  off  one 
of  them  with  his  knife.  "  Silver !  "  he  exclaimed.  "  It  would 
have  been  better  if  they  had  been  gold.  But  as  there  are 
four  on  each  pillar,  and  twelve  pillars,  they  would  make  a 
tidy  weight.  That  is  a  good  beginning,  Bertie.  If  they 
are  the  same  in  all  the  rooms  there  would  be  several  tons' 
of  it." 

There  was  but  one  door  to  the  room;  through  this  they 
passed.  Dias,  now  that  there  was  some  explanation  for  what 
he  considered  the  work  of  the  demons,  had  a  more  assured 
air.  One  passage  led  straight  on;  two  others  ran  parallel 
to  the  wall  of  the  room  they  had  left. 

"  We  will  examine  these  first,"  Harry  said.  "  It  is  likely 
enough  they  lead  to  the  stairs  to  the  lower  room.  There 
must  be  two  floors  below  us,  one  above  the  level  of  the  top 
of  the  tunnel,  the  other  below  that  must  be  divided  in  two 
by  it." 

As  they  advanced  into  the  passage  there  was  a  strange 
and  sudden  clamour,  a  roaring  sound  mingled  with  sharp 
shrieks  and  strange  little  piping  squeaks.  Maria  ran  back 
with  a  shriek  of  alarm,  and  there  was  a  strange  rush  over- 
head. The  torches  were  both  extinguished,  and  Harry  and 
his  brother  discharged  their  rifles  almost  at  the  same  moment. 


254          THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  INCAS 

Dias  burst  into  a  shout  of  laughter  as  they  hoth  dropped 
their  weapons  and  swung  their  double-barrelled  guns  for- 
ward. "What  on  earth  is  it,  Dias?" 

"  It  is  bats  and  birds,  senor.  I  have  seen  them  come  out 
of  caves  that  way  many  times.  I  dare  say  the  place  is  full 
of  bats.  The  birds  would  only  come  into  rooms  where  there 
is  some  light." 

Turning  round  they  saw  quite  a  cloud  of  bats  flying  out 
through  the  door. 

"  Confound  it !  "  Harry  said.  "  They  have  given  me  the 
worst  fright  I  ever  had  in  my  life." 

They  went  back  to  the  room  they  had  left.  Both  Harry 
and  Bertie  had  lost  every  tinge  of  colour  from  their  faces. 

"  I  am  very  glad,  Harry,"  Bertie  said,  with  an  attempt  at 
a  laugh,  "  that  you  were  frightened.  I  was  scared  almost 
out  of  my  life." 

Maria  had  thrown  herself  down  on  her  face. 

"  Ah,  senors,"  Dias  said  triumphantly,  "  you  thought  they 
were  demons ! " 

"I  did  not  think  they  were  demons,  Dias,  but  what  they 
were  I  could  not  tell  you.  I  never  heard  any  such  sound 
before.  I  am  not  ashamed  to  say  that  I  did  feel  badly  fright- 
ened. Now,  see  to  your  wife,  Dias." 

"  There  is  nothing  to  be  afraid  of,  Maria.  What  are  you 
lying  there  for  ?  " 

The  woman  raised  herself  slightly.  "  Are  you  alive  ? "  she 
said  in  a  dazed  way. 

"  Alive  ?  of  course  I  am !  You  don't  suppose  I  am  going 
to  be  frightened  at  a  lot  of  bats  ?  There,  look  at  them,  they 
are  still  streaming  out." 

"It  is  all  right,  Maria,"  Harry  said.  "You  have  had  a 
fright ;  and  so  have  Bertie  and  I,  so  you  need  not  be  ashamed 
of  yourself.  It  is  all  very  well  for  Dias  to  laugh,  but  he  says 
he  has  seen  such  things  before." 

"  If  you  were  afraid,  senor,  I  need  not  be  ashamed  that  I 
was;  I  really  did  think  it  was  the  demons." 


INVESTIGATIONS  2&5 

"  There  is  no  such  thing,  Maria ;  but  it  was  as  good  an 
imitation  of  them  as  you  are  ever  likely  to  see." 

"  I  was  in  a  horrible  funk,  Maria,"  Bertie  said,  "  and  I  am 
only  just  getting  over  it;  I  feel  I  am  quite  as  pale  as  you. 
What  are  you  looking  so  pleased  about,  Bias  ? "  he  asked 
almost  angrily. 

"I  am  pleased,  senor,  now  I  have  got  even  with  Maria. 
The  first  time  she  says  to  me  '  demons,'  I  shall  say  to  her 
'  bats.' " 

"  Now,  let  us  start  again,"  Harry  said  as  they  all  laughed. 
"  But  instead  of  going  down,  we  will  go  upstairs.  I  have 
not  pulled  myself  quite  together  yet,  and  I  don't  suppose 
you  have." 

"No,  my  knees  are  quite  wobbling  about,  and  if  I  saw 
anything,  I  certainly  could  not  aim  straight  just  at  present. 
And  it's  rum;  we  had  the  main-mast  struck  by  lightning  off 
the  Cape  one  voyage  I  made,  and  I  did  not  feel  a  bit  like 
this." 

"I  dare  say  not,  Bertie.  We  all  feel  brave  in  dangers 
that  we  are  accustomed  to;  it  is  what  we  don't  know  that 
frightens  us.  We  will  sit  here  on  the  window-sill  for  another 
five  minutes  before  we  move  again.  Jose,  you  have  got  some 
pulque  in  your  gourd,  I  suppose  ? " 

"  Yes,  senor." 

"  Then  we  will  all  take  a  drink  of  it.  I  don't  like  the 
stuff,  but  just  at  present  I  feel  that  it  won't  come  amiss 
at  all." 

Some  of  the  spirit  was  poured  into  a  tin  mug  they  had 
with  them,  and  mixed  with  water,  with  which  they  had  filled 
their  water-bottles  from  the  stream  before  starting. 


256          THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  INCAS 

CHAPTER  XVI 

THE   SEARCH  BEGINS 

IN  a  few  minutes  all  were  ready  to  go  on  again.  Harry 
had  asked  Maria  if  she  would  like  to  go  down  the  ladder 
and  wait  till  they  returned. 

"No,  senor,  I  should  not  like  it  at  all.  I  don't  care  how 
full  of  bats  the  rooms  are,  now  that  I  know  what  they  are. 
As  for  Dias,  I  have  no  doubt  that  the  first  time  he  heard 
them  he  was  just  as  frightened." 

"  No,  I  was  not ;  but  I  dare  say  I  should  have  been  if  the 
man  I  was  with — I  was  then  only  about  Jose's  age — had  not 
told  me  that  the  cavern  was  full  of  bats.  There  was  a  great 
storm  coming  on,  and  he  proposed  that  we  should  take  shelter 
there.  We  brought  the  mules  into  the  mouth  of  the  cave, 
and  he  said,  'Now,  we  will  light  a  torch  and  go  in  a  bit 
farther,  and  then  you  will  be  astonished.  It  is  a  bat  cavern, 
and  I  have  no  doubt  there  are  thousands  of  them  here.  They 
won't  hurt  us,  though  they  may  knock  out  our  torch,  and 
the  noise  they  make  is  enough  to  scare  one  out  of  one's  senses, 
if  one  does  not  know  what  it  is.'  Though  I  did  know,  I  own 
I  was  frightened  a  bit;  but  since  then  I  have  been  into  sev- 
eral such  caves,  so  I  knew  in  a  moment  what  it  was.  I  ought 
to  have  warned  the  senors,  for  an  old  house  like  this,  where 
there  is  very  little  light,  is  just  the  place  for  them." 

"But  there  were  birds  too,  Dias." 

"  Yes,  I  expect  they  were  nearer.  Perhaps  some  of  them 
were  in  the  other  rooms,  where  they  would  be  close  to  the 
openings.  But  they  were  probably  scared  too  by  the  noise 
of  the  bats,  and  as  the  windows  behind  were  too  small  for 
them  all  to  fly  out  together,  they  made  for  the  light  instead." 

"Well,  now,  let  us  start,"  Harry  said,  getting  up. 

They  again  lit  their  torches,  and  this  time  found  every- 
thing perfectly  quiet  in  the  passage.  Two  or  three  yards 


THE  SEARCH  BEGINS  257 

beyond  the  spot  at  which  they  had  before  arrived  they  sa'W 
a  staircase  to  the  left.  It  was  faintly  lighted  from  above 
and,  mountipg  it,  they  found  themselves  in  a  room  extending 
over  the  whole  width  and  depth  of  the  house.  The  roof  at 
the  eastern  end  was  not  supported  by  pillars,  but  by  walla 
three  feet  wide  and  seven  or  eight  feet  apart.  The  first  line 
of  these  was  evidently  over  the  wall  of  the  room  they  had 
left.  There  were  four  lines  of  similar  supports  erected,  they 
had  no  doubt,  over  the  walls  of  rooms  below.  The  light  from 
the  four  windows  in  front,  and  from  an  irregular  opening 
at  the  other  end  some  three  feet  high  and  six  inches  wide, 
afforded  sufficient  light  for  them  to  move  about  without 
difficulty.  There  were  many  signs  of  human  habitation  here. 
Along  the  sides  were  the  remains  of  mats,  which  had  appar- 
ently divided  spaces  six  feet  wide  into  small  apartments. 
Turning  these  over  they  found  many  trifles — arrow-heads, 
bead-necklaces,  fragments  of  pots,  and  even  a  child's  doll. 

"  I  expect  this  is  the  room  where  the  married  troops  lived 
and  slept,"  Harry  said ;  "  there  is  not  much  to  see  here." 

The  two  stories  above  were  exactly  similar,  except  that 
there  were  no  remains  of  dividing  mats  nor  of  female  orna- 
ments. They  walked  to  the  narrow  end.  Here  the  opening 
for  light  was  of  a  different  shape  from  those  in  the  rooms 
below.  It  had  apparently  been  originally  of  the  same  shape, 
but  had  been  altered.  In  the  middle  it  was,  like  the  others, 
three  feet  high  and  six  inches  wide,  but  a  foot  from  the  bot- 
tom there  was  a  wide  cut,  a  foot  high  and  three  feet  wide. 
As  they  approached  it  Bias  gave  an  exclamation  of  surprise. 
Two  skeletons  lay  below  it.  "  They  must  have  been  on  watch 
here,  senor,  when  they  died,"  he  said  as  they  came  up  to  them. 

"  It  is  a  rum  place  to  watch,"  Bertie  said,  "  for  you  cannot 
see  out." 

"  You  are  right,  Bertie,  it  is  a  curious  hole." 

The  wall  was  over  two  feet  thick;  all  the  other  openings 
had  been  driven  straight  through  it,  and,  as  they  had  noticed, 
were  doubtless  made  in  the  stones  before  they  were  placed 


258  THE  TREASTJKE  OF  THE  INCAS 

there,  for  inside  they  were  cleanly  cut,  and  it  was  only  within 
three  inches  of  the  outer  face  that  the  edges  had  been  left 
rough.  This  opening  was  of  quite  a  different  character.  It 
sloped  at  a  sharp  angle,  and  no  view  of  the  open  sea  could 
be  obtained,  but  only  one  of  the  line  of  rocks  at  the  foot  of 
the  cliffs.  It  was  roughly  made,  and  by  the  marks  of  tools, 
probably  of  hardened  copper,  it  had  evidently  been  cut  from 
the  inside. 

Harry  stood  looking  for  some  time.  "I  cannot  under- 
stand their  cutting  the  hole  like  this.  It  could  not  be  no- 
ticed from  the  sea  that  there  was  an  opening  at  all;  that 
is  plain  enough.  But  why  make  the  hole  at  all  when  you 
can  see  nothing  from  it?  And  yet  a  watch  has  been  placed 
here,  while  there  was  none  at  the  other  places  where  they 
could  make  out  any  passing  ship." 

"  Perhaps,"  Bertie  said,  "  it  was  done  in  order  that  if  from 
the  other  places  boats  were  seen  approaching,  they  could 
chuck  big  stones  down  from  here  and  sink  any  boat  that 
might  row  inside  the  rocks  into  the  entrance  to  the  passage, 
which,  as  this  is  in  the  middle  of  the  room,  must  be  just 
under  us." 

"  In  that  case  they  would  have  kept  a  supply  of  big  stones 
here.  I  have  no  doubt  whatever  that  it  was  made  some  time 
after  the  castle  was  built,  and  I  should  say,  judging  by  its 
unfinished  state,  the  work  was  done  in  haste.  But  what  for, 
goodness  only  knows.  Well  now,  having  made  no  discoveries 
whatever  on  the  upper  floor,  we  will  go  down.  It  is  certain 
that  there  can  be  no  great  treasure  hidden  under  any  of 
these  floors,  there  is  not  depth  enough  for  hiding-places.  I 
counted  the  steps  as  we  came  upstairs,  and  there  cannot  be 
much  more  than  two  feet  between  the  floor  of  one  room  and 
the  ceiling  in  the  next.  I  fancy  that  this  is  of  single  stones, 
each  the  flooring  length  of  the  space  between  the  half -walls. 
You  see  that  there  is  a  long  beam  of  stone  running  on  the 
top  of  the  dividing  wall,  and  the  ends  of  these  stones  appear 
to  rest  on  it.  It  is  below  that  we  must  look  for  hiding- 
places." 


THE  SEARCH  BEGINS  259 

They  descended  to  the  first  floor.  They  found  that  the 
space  behind  the  great  room  was  divided  into  a  number  of 
chambers.  All  of  these,  with  the  exception  of  the  small  one 
on  the  sea-face,  were  necessarily  in  absolute  darkness,  and 
in  all  were  brackets  for  torches,  similar  to  those  in  the  prin- 
cipal chamber.  Bertie  counted  them,  and  found  that,  in- 
cluding those  first  met  with,  they  numbered  one  hundred 
and  twenty-three. 

"  How  much  do  you  think  they  weigh  apiece  ? "  he  asked 
Harry  when  the  tour  was  finished. 

"I  have  not  the  slightest  idea,  Bertie.  I  should  think 
about  fifteen  pounds,  but  it  may  be  five  pounds  less  than 
that.  They  would  certainly  give  a  very  nasty  knock  on  the 
head." 

"  Oh,  I  was  not  thinking  of  knocks  on  the  head.  If  there 
are  a  hundred  bars  at  fifteen  pounds  apiece,  it  is  a  big  amount 
of  silver;  if  they  are  only  ten  pounds  each — and  really  I 
think  that  is  nearer  the  mark — they  weigh  a  thousand  pounds. 
What  is  silver  worth  a  pound  ? " 

"It  varies.  You  can  put  it  at  five  shillings  an  ounce; 
that  would  be  three  pounds  sterling  for  one  of  silver — three 
thousand  pounds  in  a  rough  calculation  for  the  lot." 

"  Well,  that  is  not  a  bad  beginning,  Harry ;  it  would  pay 
all  the  expenses  and  leave  a  couple  of  thousand  over." 

Harry  shrugged  his  shoulders.  "  A  drop  in  the  ocean  as 
far  as  I  am  concerned,  Bertie.  Still,  it  is  a  beginning;  and 
you  may  be  sure  that  they  did  not  take  all  this  trouble  to 
guard  this  castle  for  the  sake  of  three  thousand  pounds' 
worth  of  silver." 

They  now  went  down  to  the  next  floor.  Here  there  were 
two  staircases,  and  the  space  was  divided  into  two  parts  by 
a  wall  along  the  centre.  There  were  no  openings  whatever 
for  light.  One  half  had  evidently  been  devoted  to  arms. 
Here  still  lay  hundreds  of  spear-shafts,  tens  of  thousands  of 
arrows,  piles  of  hide  shields,  and  caps  of  the  same  material. 

"This  store  must  have  been  larger  than  was  required  for 


260          THE  TBEASUEE  OF  THE  INCAS 

the  garrison  of  the  place,"  Harry  said,  "  it  must  have  been 
a  reserve  for  re-arming  a  whole  tribe." 

Besides  the  arms  there  were  great  bales  of  rough  cloth  and 
piles  of  skins,  all  in  a  marvellous  state  of  preservation  ow- 
ing to  the  dryness  of  the  air.  After  thoroughly  examining 
the  room  they  went  up  the  stairs  leading  into  it  and  de- 
scended those  into  the  adjoining  chamber.  This  was  divided 
into  compartments  by  transverse  walls  four  feet  shorter  than 
the  width,  thereby  leaving  a  passage  through  from  end  to 
end.  Here  in  confusion — for  the  most  part  turned  inside  out 
— were  sacks  of  matting  and  bags  of  leather.  One  of  the 
compartments  was  filled  with  great  jars  arranged  in  tiers. 
Some  of  the  compartments  were  quite  empty. 

"  I  think,  senor,  that  these  were  stores  of  loose  grain, 
probably  maize.  I  do  not  see  a  single  grain  left." 

They  looked  carefully  round  with  the  torches.  "  This 
carries  out  our  idea,  Bias,  that  the  people  upstairs  died  of 
hunger.  I  have  no  doubt,  as  you  say,  that  the  sacks  did  con- 
tain grain.  If  these  had  been  cleared  in  the  ordinary  way 
there  would  certainly  remain  a  good  deal  loosely  scattered 
about.  They  might  have  been  full  or  half-full  at  the  time 
the  place  was  left  as  we  found  it.  Possibly,  instead  of  ten 
men,  the  garrison  may  have  been  ten  times  as  strong  at  first, 
but  in  the  fifty  or  hundred  years  before  the  last  survivors 
died  they  may  have  dwindled  to  a  tenth  of  that  number. 
However,  it  is  plain  that,  as  you  say,  the  store  of  food  was 
not  carried  away,  but  was  consumed  to  the  last  grain.  In 
the  same  way  you  can  see,  by  the  way  the  sacks  and  bags  are 
tumbled  about  and  turned  inside  out,  how  careful  was  the 
search  for  any  remnant  that  might  have  been  overlooked 
when  they  were  first  emptied.  It  all  points  to  starvation." 

Three  of  the  largest  divisions  bore  evident  traces  that  at 
some  time  or  other,  animals,  probably  llamas  or  vicunas,  had 
been  closely  penned  there.  Another  had  been  occupied  by  a 
store  of  hay,  some  of  which  still  remained.  When  they  had 
thoroughly  examined  this  room,  Harry  looked  at  his  watch 


THE  SEARCH  BEGINS  261 

and  said,  "  It  is  late  in  the  afternoon — our  torches  are  nearly 
finished;  however,  there  is  time  for  a  casual  look  round  at 
the  cellars  below.  To-morrow  we  will  begin  a  regular  search 
there." 

They  descended  by  the  staircase  to  the  basement.  "« 

"  How  narrow  this  place  is !  "  Bertie  exclaimed.  "  It  is 
not  much  more  than  half  the  width  of  the  room  above." 

"  Of  course  it  is  not ;  the  two  rooms  above  occupied  the 
whole  width  of  the  house,  these  only  occupy  the  width  be- 
tween the  passage  and  the  rock-wall  on  each  side.  You  see, 
the  tunnel  is  twelve  feet  wide,  and  we  may  take  it  that  these 
walls  are  at  least  three  feet  thick — it  is  not  as  if  they  had 
been  built  of  brick,  or  even  of  stones  cut  to  shape.  They 
knew  nothing  of  the  arch,  and,  as  you  saw  outside,  this  came 
up  nearly  to  a  point.  The  stones  were  longer  and  longer 
with  each  course,  each  projecting  over  the  one  below  it,  until, 
when  they  were  within  two  feet  of  joining,  a  very  long  slab 
was  laid  across  them.  The  stones  may  be  three  feet  wide 
at  the  bottom  and  ten  feet  at  the  top,  and  you  see  the  wall 
extends  over  here  in  the  same  way — as  of  course  it  must  have 
done,  otherwise  the  whole  thing  would  have  overbalanced 
and  fallen  in  before  that  slab  at  the  top  was  added.  So,  you 
see,  there  is  the  width  of  the  tunnel,  twelve  feet,  and  the 
two  walls,  say  six  feet  more,  to  be  taken  off  the  fifty  feet. 
So  the  cellars  by  the  side  of  the  passage  can  only  be  about 
sixteen  feet  and  a  half  at  this  end,  which  is  what  they  seem 
to  be,  and  will  go  away  to  nothing  at  the  other  end,  as  we 
shall  see  presently." 

The  first  thing  they  saw  was  a  sunken  tank  in  the  floor. 
This  was  full  of  water.  It  was  about  four  feet  square,  and 
on  sounding  it  with  one  of  the  ramrods,  they  found  it  was 
about  the  same  in  depth,  the  water  coming  to  within  a  foot 
of  the  top.  It  was  against  the  wall  facing  the  ravine. 

"  This  must  have  some  connection  with  the  stream.  Other- 
wise it  would  have  been  dry  long  ago." 

"  We  did  not  see  any  hole  when  we  went  down  the  passage," 
Bertie  said. 


262         THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  INCAS 

"No.  Most  likely  a  hole  something  like  this  was  cut  in 
the  rock  outside,  and  a  pipe  driven  to  the  bottom  of  this 
cistern.  They  would  only  have  to  fill  the  one  in  the  tunnel 
with  cut  blocks  to  within  a  foot  of  the  surface,  and  with 
smaller  stones  to  the  same  level  as  the  bed  of  the  stream; 
then  the  water  in  the  cistern  would  always  be  level  with  that 
outside.  They  put  it  in  this  end  so  as  to  be  well  out  of  reach 
of  the  salt  water  farther  in.  They  were  no  fools  who  built 
this  place.  However  closely  they  were  besieged,  and  even 
if  the  enemy  occupied  the  space  in  front  of  the  house,  their 
water-supply  was  secure." 

"  But  in  time  of  floods,  Harry,  if  the  water  rose  a  foot  in 
the  passage — and  we  saw  it  did  more  than  that — it  would 
flood  the  whole  of  this  basement." 

"  That  is  so,  Bertie ;  but  you  may  be  sure  that  there  was 
some  provision  against  that.  They  would  have  some  valve 
that  they  could  shut,  or  possibly  there  was  a  block  of  wood 
covered  with  leather  that  they  could  push  into  the  pipe  at 
the  bottom  of  this  cistern." 

Beyond  a  considerable  store  of  firewood,  in  large  and  small 
blocks,  nothing  could  be  seen  in  the  chamber. 

"I  expect  these  two  places  were  used  as  prisons,"  Harry 
said,  "  though  in  case  a  very  large  force  were  assembled  some 
may  have  slept  here.  At  ordinary  times  the  upper  rooms 
would  be  quite  sufficient.  But  you  see  they  had  to  build  the 
whole  height  of  the  rocky  arch,  and  they  wanted  the  entrance 
to  the  place  to  be  so  far  above  the  ground-level  that  it  would 
be  extremely  difficult  for  an  enemy  to  climb  into  it.  A  hos- 
tile force  could  only  have  come  in  at  that  entrance,  and  a 
small  body  of  determined  men  might  have  held  it  against  a 
host.  These  lower  chambers  were  simply  cellars;  the  store- 
rooms were  above  them,  and  the  habitable  part  of  the  castle. 
Now  let  us  look  at  the  chamber  on  the  other  side ;  no  doubt 
we  shall  find  it  just  like  this." 

This  proved  to  be  the  case.  There  were  another  cistern 
and  more  piles  of  firewood,  otherwise  it  was  empty.  After 


THE  SEARCH  BEGINS  263 

a  short  survey  they  returned  to  the  main  chamber,  bringing 
up  with  them  two  of  the  empty  leather  bags.  In  these  they 
placed  the  bones  of  the  dead,  the  remains  all  crumbling  when 
touched,  as  the  first  skeleton  had  done.  The  bags  were  low- 
ered to  the  ground,  and  the  four  searchers  descended  and 
carried  them  to  the  mouth  of  the  ravine.  In  a  spare  bag 
which  they  brought  with  them  they  placed  the  bones  of  the 
two  skeletons  on  the  steps,  and  then  carried  them  all  out  to 
the  open  valley. 

"We  will  bury  them  when  we  move  the  camp  down  here 
to-morrow  morning,"  Harry  said.  "  We  forgot  the  two  up 
at  that  window.  That  is  no  matter,  we  can  throw  them  out 
to-morrow;  they  will  lie  as  well  at  the  bottom  of  the  sea  as 
in  the  earth  here." 

Not  much  was  said  as  they  returned  to  the  castle.  They 
had  been  a  very  silent  party  all  day.  The  gloom  and  dark- 
ness, the  way  in  which  their  voices  echoed  in  the  empty  hall, 
had  exercised  a  depressing  effect  on  them ;  and  Donna  Maria, 
generally  the  most  talkative  of  the  party,  had  not  quite  re- 
covered from  the  shock  which  the  exit  of  the  bats  had  given 
her.  It  was  not  until  she  had  cooked  a  meal,  and  they  all 
sat  down  to  it,  that  they  quite  recovered  their  spirits.  They 
had  found  Jose  awaiting  their  return.  He  had  a  blazing  fire, 
having  brought  down  as  much  firewood  as  he  could  carry, 
and  Dias  had  briefly  told  him  the  result  of  their  explorations. 

"  Well,  Harry,  what  do  you  think  altogether  ? "  Bertie 
asked  after  the  meal  was  over. 

"  I  think  we  ought  to  be  very  well  satisfied,"  he  replied. 
"Everything  has  borne  out  the  ideas  we  had.  The  castle 
may  have  been  built  as  a  fortress  by  some  great  chief,  cer- 
tainly before  the  time  of  the  Incas,  or  it  may  have  been  used 
for  a  prison.  The  ornaments  and  things  we  found  showed 
that  it  was  known  to  the  Incas.  They  would  have  had  no 
occasion  to  use  it  when  they  were  undisputed  masters  of  the 
country,  but  when  the  troubles  came  with  the  Spaniards  a 
garrison  was  placed  here,  and  possibly  some  of  their  chiefs 


264:  THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  IXCAS 

took  refuge  in  the  place.  Then  came  the  time  when  all  oppo- 
sition to  the  invaders  ceased,  and  only  a  small  body  of  men 
•were  left  here  to  guard  the  secret,  and  the  treasure  if  there 
•were  any.  Generations  may  have  passed  before  the  last  of 
the  garrison  died  of  hunger,  and  probably  all  others  who  were 
in  the  secret  fell  in  some  insurrection  or  died  in  the  mines. 
All  this  seems  plain  enough,  except  that  possibly  there  was 
no  treasure.  That  left  by  the  Chimoos  may  have  been  dis- 
covered by  the  Incas.  I  should  think  it  extremely  likely  that 
the  ship  Dias  mentioned  as  setting  out  with  a  large  amount 
of  treasure  was  intended  to  land  its  stores  here. 

"  It  may  have  done  so,  or  it  may  have  sunk  at  sea.  I  am 
inclined  to  think  that  it  was  lost,  because  the  traditions  con- 
cerning these  hidden  treasures  seem  to  be  extremely  accurate ; 
and  yet,  as  Dias  says,  none  tell  of  any  Inca  treasure  being 
concealed  here.  However,  it  is  quite  possible  that  the  treas- 
ure did  come  here  and  was  landed,  and  that  the  ship  was  then 
broken  up,  so  that  it  might  be  supposed  she  was  lost  at  sea, 
and  that  this  was  kept  so  profound  a  secret  by  the  men  here, 
that  the  news  was  never  generally  known  even  among  the 
natives.  So  far  our  search  to-day  has  been  successful,  but 
I  see  that  a  hunt  for  the  treasure  will  be  a  very  difficult  one. 
Certainly  in  the  upper  chambers  there  doesn't  appear  any 
possibility  of  such  a  hiding-place  existing.  The  whole  space 
is  accounted  for.  The  walls  are  all  of  solid  stone,  and  have 
no  special  thickness.  If  the  roofs  had  been  arched  there 
might  be  empty  spaces  on  each  side  of  the  spring  of  the  arch, 
but  they  are  supported  by  pillars  or  walls,  with  only  just 
space  between  the  floors  for  the  beams  of  solid  stone.  Of 
course  it  is  in  the  lowest  room  that  one  would  expect  to  find 
hiding-places  like  those  we  saw  at  Pachacamac."  He  paused. 
"  Well,  why  should  they  not  be  there,  Harry  ? " 
"  Because,  as  we  saw,  the  floor  is  at  most  twelve  inches 
above  the  water-level.  How  is  it  possible  that  they  could 
have  constructed  chambers  below  that  level,  that  is  in  the 
bed  of  a  torrent  ?  It  is  probable  that  the  solid  rock  lies  many 


THE  SEAECH  BEGINS  265 

feet  below  the  bed  of  the  stream.  A  portion  of  that  great 
arch  must  from  time  to  time  have  fallen  into  it;  and  it  may 
be  that  the  river  once  ran  forty  or  fifty  feet  below  its  present 
level.  In  all  the  places  that  we  have  seen  these  treasure 
chambers  were  formed  in  solid  adobe  foundations,  as  the 
temples  always  stood  on  artificial  terraces.  With  all  our 
appliances  at  the  present  time  it  would  be  next  to  impossible 
to  sink  in  a  stratum  of  great  rock  fragments  below  the  water- 
level,  and  I  do  not  believe  that  the  old  people  here  could  have 
done  so  even  had  it  been  a  solid  rock.  The  difficulties  of 
excavating  chambers  in  it  would  have  been  enormous.  They 
could  split  rocks  with  the  grain,  and  all  the  stone  walls  we 
have  seen  were  made  of  regular  pieces,  and  evidently  formed 
of  stone  so  split.  They  were  able  to  give  them  a  sort  of  fac- 
ing with  great  labour,  but  the  tools  they  had  were  not  made 
of  material  hard  enough  to  work  in  solid  rock,  and  the  labour 
of  excavating  such  chambers  would  have  been  stupendous. 
Therefore  I  am  at  a  loss  to  imagine  where  any  such  cham- 
bers can  be  in  that  castle." 

Dias  nodded  gravely.  He  had  been  with  travellers  who 
had  done  a  great  deal  of  excavation,  and  he  was  able  to 
understand  Harry's  argument.  Maria,  who  was  listening 
attentively,  also  understood  it.  Jose  simply  rolled  cigarettes 
and  smoked  them.  It  was  a  matter  for  his  elders,  and  he 
did  not  even  try  to  follow  what  Harry  was  saying.  There 
was  some  minutes'  silence,  and  then  Bertie  said,  "  But  the 
floors  are  all  even." 

"What  do  you  mean,  Bertie?"  Harry  asked  in  a  puzzled 
tone. 

"I  mean,  Harry,  that  they  run  straight  along.  There  is 
no  dip  in  them." 

"  Of  course  there  isn't.  Who  ever  heard  of  building  floors 
on  the  slope  ? " 

"Yes,  that  is  what  I  mean.  We  know  that  the  tunnel 
slopes  down  its  own  height.  It  is  twelve  feet  high  at  the 
entrance,  and  at  the  lower  end  it  is  some  inches  below  the 


266          THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  INCAS 

level,  so  it  falls  twelve  feet  at  least.  At  the  end  where  the 
cistern  is,  the  floor  of  the  basement  is  only  a  few  inches 
above  the  bottom  of  the  passage ;  therefore  at  the  other  end 
it  must  be  twelve  feet  above  the  water-level." 

"  You  are  right,  Bertie ! "  Harry  exclaimed.  "  What  a 
fool  I  was  not  to  think  of  it !  There  must  be  a  space  under- 
neath it  a  hundred  feet  long,  sloping  from  nothing  down  to 
twelve  feet.  There  is  room  for  a  dozen  chambers  such  as 
those  we  saw  on  each  side  of  the  tunnel.  Well  done,  Bertie ! 
you  have  given  me  fresh  hope.  It  would  be  a  splendid 
hiding-place,  for  any  searchers  who  came  down  and  saw  the 
water  in  the  cistern  would  believe  at  once  that,  as  neither 
the  Chimoos  nor  the  Incas  could  have  known  how  to  build 
under  water,  there  was  no  use  in  searching  for  hidden  cham- 
bers under  this  floor.  You  see,  neither  of  them  had  any 
knowledge  of  cement  or  mortar.  All  their  bricks  and  stones 
are  laid  without  anything  of  the  sort ;  and  whatever  amount 
of  labour  was  available  no  chamber  could  be  made  under 
water,  for  as  fast  as  holes  were  dug  the  water  would  come 
in,  and  even  if  they  could  line  it  with  stone-work  the  water 
would  penetrate  through  the  cracks.  Now,  Dias,  that  we  see 
with  certainty  where  we  have  to  dig,  we  can  make  our  prep- 
arations. I  will  write  down  a  list  of  the  things  we  decided 
the  other  day  we  should  want: — Six  kegs  of  powder,  two 
hundred  feet  of  fuse,  four  boring-tools,  six  steel  wedges,  the 
smallest  smith's  fire  you  can  buy  —  for  we  shall  have  to 
sharpen  the  tools, — six  borers,  a  large  bundle  of  torches,  four 
sledge-hammers — we  have  enough  pickaxes  and  shovels, — and 
another  fifty  fathoms,  that  is  a  hundred  yards,  of  rope.  I 
don't  know  anything  else  that  we  shall  want  in  the  mining 
way. 

"  You  and  your  wife  had  better  settle  what  provisions  you 
must  get.  We  shall  certainly  need  a  good  supply  of  flour — 
a  couple  of  sacks,  I  should  think — tea,  coffee,  and  sugar,  dried 
or  salted  meat.  And  you  might  get  a  supply  of  smoked  fish. 
I  have  no  doubt  that  we  shall  catch  fresh  fish  here  in  the  sea,. 


THE  SEARCH  BEGINS  267 

but  we  shall  all  be  too  busy  to  spend  much  time  on  that. 
You  had  better  get  three  or  four  gallons  of  pulque ;  one  can- 
not be  always  drinking  coffee.  We  have  still  got  a  good 
stock  of  whisky  and  brandy.  Your  wife  will  certainly  want 
a  good  supply  of  red  pepper  and  other  things  for  her  stews. 
It  would  not  be  a  bad  thing  to  have  a  couple  of  crates  of 
poultry.  Don't  pack  them  too  closely,  or  half  of  them  will 
be  smothered  before  you  get  them  here.  Dead  meat  would 
be  of  no  use,  for  it  won't  keep  in  this  heat.  We  can  turn 
them  all  out  in  the  courtyard  in  front  of  the  castle,  and  they 
can  pick  up  their  living  there  among  the  lower  slopes  of 
the  cliffs.  We  can  give  them  a  few  handfuls  of  grain  a 
day.  Don't  get  too  many  cocks,  and  let  the  hens  be  young 
ones.  They  ought  to  supply  us  with  plenty  of  eggs  and  some 
broods  of  chickens.  You  must  calculate  what  the  weight 
will  be,  and  take  the  mules  accordingly." 

"  Very  well,  senor.  I  need  not  be  away  more  than  three 
days  at  most.  It  is  only  about  twenty  miles  to  Ancon." 

"  You  might  take  the  two  llamas  down  with  you  and  sell 
them  there.  They  have  done  good  work,  and  I  should  not 
like  to  kill  and  eat  them.  So  mind  you  sell  them  to  someone 
who  wants  them  for  carriage  work.  We  shall  not  require 
them  any  more  for  that  purpose.  Will  you  want  to  take 
Jose  with  you  ?  " 

"I  think  not,  senor,  for  I  should  say  that  four  baggage 
mules  will  be  ample,  and  I  can  lead  them  myself;  and  cer- 
tainly you  will  find  Jose  useful  here." 

Dias  and  his  wife  then  withdrew  a  short  distance  from 
the  fire,  and  engaged  in  an  animated  conversation  as  to  the 
things  she  required. 

"  Don't  stint  matters,"  Harry  said,  raising  his  voice.  "  We 
may  be  here  for  the  next  two  or  three  months,  and  the  less 
frequently  you  have  to  go  down  to  buy  things  the  better.  It 
would  be  easy  to  account  for  your  first  purchases  by  saying 
that  you  were  going  on  an  expedition  to  the  mountains,  but 
you  could  not  go  to  the  place  with  the  same  story  again." 


268          THE  TREASURE  OP  THE  INCAS 

"  There  are  other  places  I  can  go  to,  senor;  but  I  will  get 
a  good  store  of  everything  this  time." 

Dias  started  at  daybreak  with  four  mules  and  the  two 
llamas.  The  others  rolled  up  the  tent-beds  and  the  remain- 
ing stores,  loaded  up  the  other  mules,  and  moved  down  to 
the  mouth  of  the  ravine.  Here  they  pitched  the  little  tents 
again. 

"  They  will  form  a  central  point  for  the  mules  to  come  to," 
Harry  said.  "We  will  leave  the  sacks  of  maize  here,  but 
give  the  animals  a  good  feed  now.  They  will  be  sure  to  keep 
close  to  the  spot.  All  the  other  things  we  will  carry  into  the 
castle ;  but  before  we  start  we  will  bury  these  bags  of  bones." 

When  this  was  done,  and  the  saddles  taken  off  and  piled 
together  against  the  rocks,  the  other  things  were  made  up 
in  portable  packets,  and  they  started  up  the  ravine.  They 
made  three  journeys  before  everything  was  brought  to  the 
foot  of  the  ladder  leading  up  to  the  window.  Then  the  two 
brothers  mounted,  and  hauled  the  things  up  with  a  rope 
which  Jose,  who  remained  below,  fastened  to  them.  When 
the  last  was  up  he  went  to  the  foot  of  the  rock  and  brought 
several  armfuls  of  the  wood  he  had  thrown  down  on  the 
previous  day.  This  was  also  hauled  up. 

"  You  had  better  fetch  some  more,  Jose.  We  mean  to  keep 
a  big  fire  burning  here  night  and  day;  it  will  make  the  place 
cheerful.  I  will  have  a  fire  also  burning  where  we  are  at 
work  below.  Now,  senora,  we  will  rig  up  some  blankets 
on  a  line  between  the  pillars  at  the  end  of  the  room  opposite 
to  that  in  which  we  found  the  skeletons,  so  as  to  make  a 
special  apartment  for  you  and  Dias.  We  will  spread  our 
beds  at  night  near  the  fire." 

The  screen  was  soon  made.  A  cord  was  run  from  the  wall 
to  the  pillar  next  to  it,  some  five  feet  above  the  floor,  and 
three  blankets  were  sufficient  to  fill  the  space. 

Harry  was  about  to  make  another  line  from  the  pillar, 
when  Maria  said: 

"I  would  rather  not,  senor;  I  am  not  a  bit  afraid.     This 


THE  SEARCH  BEGINS  269 

screen  is  quite  large  enough,  and  it  will  be  more  cheerful  not 
to  be  shut  up  altogether,  as  then,  when  I  am  lying  down, 
I  can  see  the  reflection  of  the  fire  on  the  walls,  and  it  will 
be  much  more  cheerful." 

Then  a  blazing  fire  was  lit.  The  wood  was  almost  as  dry 
as  tinder,  and  burnt  without  smoke.  It  was  built  almost 
touching  the  back  wall,  in  which,  some  five  feet  above  the 
fire,  Harry  with  a  pick  made  a  hole  four  inches  deep. 

While  he  was  doing  this,  Jose  went  down  and  cut  a  sap- 
ling four  inches  in  diameter,  growing  in  a  cleft  on  the  rock, 
and  from  this  cut  off  two  six-foot  lengths  and  brought  them 
up.  One  end  of  the  thickest  of  these  was  driven  into  the 
hole  and  tightly  wedged  in  there,  the  other  end  was  lashed 
securely  to  an  upright  beam. 

"  There,  Maria,"  he  said  when  it  was  finished,  "  you  will 
be  able  to  hang  your  pots  and  kettles  from  that  at  any  height 
you  like  above  the  fire.  Now,  you  can  set  to  work  as  soon 
as  you  like,  to  get  breakfast  for  us.  We  have  been  at  work 
for  four  or  five  hours,  and  have  good  appetites." 

"I  have  the  cakes  ready  to  bake,  senor,  and  I  sha'n't  be 
long  before  I  get  an  olla  ready  for  you." 

"  Well,  Jose,  what  do  you  think  of  the  place  ? "  Harry 
asked. 

"  I  should  like  it  better  if  it  were  not  so  big,"  the  lad  said. 
u  I  shall  want  a  broom,  senor,  to  sweep  out  the  dust." 

"  It  is  three  inches  deep,"  Maria  said. 

"I  should  not  bother  about  that,  Maria;  it  would  be  a 
tremendous  job  to  sweep  such  a  big  room,  and  the  dust  is 
so  fine  that  it  would  settle  again  and  cover  everything.  Be- 
sides, it  will  be  a  good  deal  softer  to  lay  our  beds  on  than 
the  stones  would  be,  so  I  think  you  had  better  let  it  remain 
as  it  is,  especially  as  you  are  fond  of  going  about  without 
your  shoes.  I  think  I  will  rig  up  a  blanket  against  the  door- 
way. It  will  make  the  place  look  a  good  deal  more  snug, 
and  will  keep  the  bats  from  returning." 

"I  am  not  afraid  of  the  bats,  now  I  know  what  they  are; 


270  THE  TBEASUEE  OF  THE  INCA3 

but  I  should  be  constantly  expecting  them  to  rush  oui 
again." 

"  I  expect  a  good  many  went  back  last  night,"  Harry  said. 
"  We  won't  put  the  blankets  up  till  after  dark.  They  are 
sure  to  come  out  again ;  then,  as  soon  as  they  have  gone,  we 
will  close  it,  and  they  won't  be  able  to  get  in  when  they  come 
back  before  daybreak." 

Harry's  expectations  were  fulfilled.  At  dusk  a  stream  of 
bats  rushed  out  again,  but  this  time  quite  noiselessly.  The 
rush  lasted  for  three  or  four  minutes.  As  soon  as  they  had 
gone,  the  blankets  were  hung  up,  and  fastened  across  the 
doorway. 

"  They  will  be  puzzled  when  they  come  back." 

"  Yes,  senor,"  Maria  said ;  "  but  when  they  find  that  they 
can't  get  in  here,  they  will  come  in  through  the  openings 
above." 

"  So  they  will ;  I  did  not  think  of  that.  But  when  they 
once  find  that  they  cannot  get  out  here  in  the  evening,  they 
will  go  out  where  they  came  in,  and  we  shall  have  no  more 
trouble  with  them.  I  don't  know  whether  they  are  good 
to  eat?" 

Maria  gave  a  little  cry  of  horror. 

"  Oh,  senor !  I  could  not  eat  such  horrible  things !  " 

"  Their  appearance  is  against  them,  Maria ;  but  when  peo- 
ple eat  alligators,  frogs,  snakes,  and  even  rats,  I  don't  see 
why  a  bat  should  be  bad.  However,  we  won't  touch  them 
unless  we  are  threatened  by  starvation." 

"I  should  indeed  be  starving  before  I  could  touch  bats' 
flesh,  senor." 

"  Well,"  Harry  said,  "  if  people  eat  monkeys,  rats,  and 
squirrels — and  it  seems  to  me  that  a  bat  is  something  of  a 
mixture  of  the  three — one  might  certainly  eat  bats,  and  if 
we  are  driven  to  it  I  should  not  mind  trying;  but  I  promise 
you  that  I  won't  ask  you  to  cook  them." 

They  chatted  for  another  hour,  and  then  Maria  went  off 
to  her  corner.  The  brothers  spread  their  beds  by  the  fire, 


THE  SEARCH  BEGINS  271 

and  Jose  had  his  blanket  and  poncho,  and  it  was  arranged 
that  any  of  them  who  woke  should  put  fresh  logs  on  the 
fire. 

They  were  all  roused  just  before  dawn  by  a  squeaking  and 
twittering  noise.  They  threw  on  fresh  logs,  and  as  these 
blazed  up  they  could  see  a  cloud  of  bats  flying  overhead. 
They  kept  on  going  to  the  doorway,  and  when  they  found 
they  could  not  get  through  they  retired  with  angry  squeaks. 
The  light  was  gradually  breaking,  and  in  a  few  minutes  all 
had  flown  out  through  the  opening.  Harry  and  his  brother 
followed  them,  and  could  see  them  flitting  about  the  upper 
windows.  Presently,  as  if  by  a  common  impulse,  they  poured 
in  through  the  various  openings. 

"  I  don't  suppose  we  shall  see  any  more  of  them,"  Harry 
said,  "  and  I  own  that  I  shall  be  glad.  There  is  something 
very  weird  in  their  noiseless  flitting  about,  and  in  the  shadows 
the  fire  casts  on  the  ceiling." 

"  They  are  a  great  deal  larger  than  any  bats  I  have  seen," 
Bertie  said. 

"I  have  seen  as  large  or  larger,  at  Bombay  and  some  of 
the  towns  on  the  coasts." 

"  They  bite  people's  toes  when  they  are  asleep,  don't  they  ? " 

"  Yes,  the  great  vampire  bat  does,  but  I  have  never  heard 
of  any  others  doing  so.  They  live  on  insects,  and  some  of 
them  are,  I  believe,  vegetarian." 

"  Are  vampire  bats  found  here  ?  " 

"I  do  not  think  so;  I  fancy  that  they  inhabit  Java  and 
other  islands  in  the  Malay  Archipelago.  However,  they  are 
certainly  rare,  wherever  they  come  from,  and  you  can  dismiss 
them  altogether  from  your  mind." 

"  I  was  glad  when  I  heard  your  voices,  senors^"  Maria  said 
when  she  appeared  a  quarter  of  an  hour  later.  "I  knew 
they  would  not  hurt  me;  but  I  was  horribly  frightened,  and 
wrapped  myself  up  in  my  blanket  and  lay  there  till  I  heard 
you  talking,  and  I  heard  the  logs  thrown  on  the  fire;  then  I 
felt  that  it  was  all  right." 


272  THE  TKEASUEE  OF  THE  INCAS 

"  I  don't  suppose  they  will  come  again,  Maria." 

After  drinking  a  cup  of  coffee,  with  a  small  piece  of  maize 
cake,  Bertie  said: 

"What  is  the  programme  for  to-day?" 

"We  can't  do  much  till  Dias  comes  back.  We  may  as 
well  go  down  and  have  a  look  at  the  lower  rooms.  I  don't 
think  there  is  much  dust  on  the  floor  there,  but  while  Jose 
is  away  looking  after  the  mules  we  will  cut  enough  bushes 
to  make  a  couple  of  brooms.  We  shall  want  the  place  swept 
as  clean  as  possible,  so  that  we  can  look  about,  but  I  don't 
think  there  is  the  least  chance  of  our  being  able  to  move  the 
stones.  Before  we  do  anything  we  will  go  down  to  the  pool 
and  have  a  swim,  and  dive  out  through  the  entrance  and  have 
a  look  at  those  rocks." 

"  That  is  right,"  Bertie  said.  "  I  was  longing  for  one 
yesterday  morning,  but  of  course  the  first  thing  to  be  done 
was  to  examine  this  place." 

"  Would  it  be  safe  for  me  to  bathe,  senor  ? " 

"  Quite  safe,  Maria ;  the  slope  is  very  gradual,  and  you 
need  have  no  fear  of  getting  out  of  your  depth  suddenly. 
We  will  be  off  at  once,  Bertie." 


CHAPTER  XVH 

AT  WORK 

HARRY  and  his  brother  went  to  the  edge  of  the  pool, 
where  they  undressed  and  waded  out.  They  found 
that  the  bottom  of  the  passage  sloped  more  gradually  at  the 
edge  of  the  water  than  it  did  higher  up,  and  they  were  able 
to  walk  out  till  they  came  to  the  point  where  the  roof  dipped 
into  the  water.  They  dived,  and  in  a  few  strokes  came  up 
beyond  the  roof. 

"  This  is  glorious !  "  Bertie  said.     "  We  have  often  bathed 
in  pools,  but  this  is  a  different  thing  altogether.    It  is  more 


AT  WORK  273 

lhan  a  year  since  we  had  our  last  dip  in  the  sea,  the  day  we 
arrived  at  Callao." 

Although  there  was  little  or  no  wind,  the  rollers  were 
breaking  on  the  line  of  rocks  outside,  pouring  over  the  lower 
points  in  volumes  of  foam,  and  coming  in  broken  waves  up 
the  passage. 

"  We  mustn't  go  beyond  the  point,  Bertie,  or  we  may  be 
dashed  against  the  foot  of  the  cliff.  We  will  climb  up  that 
rock  to  the  left ;  it  is  not  too  steep,  and  I  think  we  can  man- 
age it.  From  there  we  shall  get  a  good  view  of  this  side  of 
the  house  and  of  the  situation  in  general." 

It  required  considerable  care  to  climb  the  rocks,  and  more 
than  once  they  hurt  their  feet  on  sharp  projections.  The 
top  of  the  rock,  however,  was  smooth  by  the  action  of  time 
and  sea,  and  they  were  able  to  sit  down  on  it  in  comfort. 

"  The  castle  is  just  as  you  described  it,  Bertie ;  and  cer- 
tainly no  one  sailing  past,  however  close  he  came  outside 
these  rocks,  would  be  able  to  detect  it.  N"o  doubt  the  stone 
of  which  it  is  built  is  the  same  as  that  of  the  cliffs.  Most 
likely  it  was  taken  from  the  ravine  where  the  passage  now 
is,  and  had  fallen  from  the  arch  above.  It  might  have  been 
more  noticeable  at  first,  but  now  it  is  weathered  into  exactly 
the  same  tint  as  the  cliffs.  The  openings  are  very  dodgily 
placed,  and  a  stranger  would  not  dream  that  they  went  many 
inches  in.  Now,  from  where  we  stand  we  can  look  up  into 
that  curious  opening  on  the  top  story.  I  have  been  puzzling 
over  that  ever  since  I  saw  it,  but  can't  think  of  any  possible 
reason  for  its  having  been  cut  like  that,  except  to  enable 
them  to  throw  stones  on  to  any  boat  that  came  into  this 
passage  behind  the  rocks;  and  yet  that  can  hardly  have  been 
the  case,  for,  as  I  remarked,  there  are  no  stones  piled  up 
there.  Certainly  they  had  a  very  large  number  of  arrows, 
but  stones  would  be  very  much  more  useful  than  arrows 
against  a  boat  almost  under  their  feet.  However,  that  does 
not  concern  us  now.  This  line  of  rocks  must  greatly  aid  in 
hiding  the  house  from  the  sea.  They  are  higher  than  you 


274          THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  INCAS 

thought  they  were,  looking  down  at  them  from  above.  We 
are  quite  thirty  feet  above  the  water,  and  at  two  or  three 
points  they  are  at  least  ten  or  twelve  feet  higher.  Of  course 
a  short  way  out  no  one  would  be  able  to  see  that  they  were 
detached  from  the  cliff,  or  that  there  was  any  passage  what- 
ever behind  them. 

"Besides,  they  break  the  force  of  the  waves.  If  it  was 
not  for  them  it  would  be  impossible  for  any  boat  to  come 
up  close  to  the  face  of  the  house,  and  a  heavy  storm  might 
even  break  down  the  wall  altogether.  A  tremendous  sea 
would  roll  in  here  in  a  westerly  gale;  and  if  it  hadn't  been 
for  these  rocks  it  would  have  been  necessary  to  build  the 
lower  part  of  the  house  absolutely  solid  to  resist  the  sea. 
It  is  possible  that  the  rocks  were  higher  than  they  now  are 
when  the  place  was  first  constructed,  in  which  case  the  house 
might  have  been  almost  entirely  hidden  from  sight.  Well, 
we  may  as  well  go  back  again,  Bertie;  we  know  all  there  is 
to  be  known  about  this  side." 

They  swam  back  into  the  tunnel,  dressed,  and  went  out. 

"  We  have  come  out,  Maria,"  Bertie  called.  "  The  coast 
is  clear  for  you.  The  water  is  not  so  deep  as  we  thought  it 
was,  and  you  can  walk  out  to  the  point  where  the  roof  comes 
down  on  to  the  water  without  getting  out  of  your  depth." 

It  did  not  take  them  long  to  cut  a  number  of  switches 
to  serve  as  brooms,  and  a  couple  of  handles.  They  carried 
them  up  into  the  house,  and  lashed  the  switches  firmly  on 
to  the  handles.  The  work  was  rough,  but  the  brooms  when 
completed  were  large,  and,  although  not  strong  enough  for 
heavy  work,  would  do  well  to  sweep  aside  the  thin  layer  of 
almost  impalpable  dust  on  the  floor  below. 

"  Shall  we  take  wood  down  there,  Harry  ? " 

"  No ;  I  think  a  fire  would  be  a  drawback  rather  than  an 
assistance.  It  would  be  very  valuable  if  we  were  working 
at  one  spot,  but  it  could  give  no  general  light  in  a  place  a 
hundred  feet  long.  We  will  take  a  torch  down,  and  hold  it 
and  sweep  by  turns.  We  shall  only  want,  to  begin  with,  to 


AT  WORK  275 

make  a  clear  path  a  couple  of  feet  wide  down  the  middle. 
Of  course  later  on  we  shall  clear  it  all.  That  will  be  suffi- 
cient to  enable  us  to  see  how  the  floor  is  constructed,  whether 
with  big  blocks  or  small  ones,  how  closely  they  are  fitted 
together,  and  so  on.  It  is  certainly  unlikely  that  we  shall 
find  any  indication  as  to  where  chambers  exist." 

It  took  but  a  very  short  time  to  clear  the  path;  the  dust 
was  so  light  that  one  sweep  of  the  broom  cleared  it  away. 
When  they  got  to  the  farther  end  they  returned  to  examine 
the  floor.  For  four  or  five  feet  from  the  cistern  the  rock 
had  been  evidently  untouched,  except  to  cut  off  any  project- 
ing points.  Then  there  was  a  clear  line  running  across  the 
path.  Bertie  held  the  torch  down  close  to  it.  Harry  knelt 
down  and  examined  it. 

"  This  is  a  clean  cut,  Bertie.  It  is  evidently  solid  above 
this,  but  the  stone  is  not  quite  the  same  colour  on  each  side 
of  it,  and  it  looks  as  if  they  had  cut  away  the  rock  here  and 
begun  to  build  so  as  to  keep  the  floor  level.  The  cut  may 
be  six  inches  deep  and  it  may  be  a  foot,  that  doesn't  matter. 
The  face  of  this  stone  is  very  smooth,  but  it  is  not  cut;  it 
is,  I  think,  the  face  of  the  natural  fracture.  Move  the  torch 
along  and  let  us  see  where  the  next  join  is.  Ah,  here  it  is!  " 

The  slab  was  four  feet  across. 

"  You  had  better  sweep  the  dust  off  both  ways,  Bertie,  so 
that  we  may  see  what  size  it  is." 

It  was,  they  found,  about  eight  feet  long. 

"It  has  straight  edges,  Harry,  almost  as  straight  as  if  it 
had  been  sawn." 

"Very  likely  it  was  sawn,  Bertie.  They  could  have  had 
no  tools  that  would  cut  a  hard  stone  like  this  regularly,  but 
as  they  were  certainly  clever  builders  they  must  have  em- 
ployed some  means  to  do  it.  Possibly  they  used  a  saw  with- 
out teeth,  for  however  much  they  might  have  hardened  the 
copper,  the  teeth  could  not  have  stood,  but  if  they  had  a 
hard  copper  band  fixed  like  the  saw  some  masons  use,  and 
kept  the  stone  moistened  with  fine  sand,  they  might  have 


276  THE  TREASUEE  OF  THE  INCAS 

cut  into  it.  Of  course  it  would  have  been  a  slow  process; 
but  they  would  not  have  needed  to  go  far  into  the  stone,  for 
when  they  got  down  two  or  three  inches  they  might  have 
broken  it  through  by  dropping  a  heavy  weight  on  the  end. 
It  would  not  have  mattered  if  the  fracture  had  not  been 
straight  below  the  cut,  for  only  on  the  surface  would  they 
have  wanted  to  fit  accurately  to  the  next  stone.  In  another 
way  they  might  have  got  a  straight  edge,  that  is,  by  driving 
very  dry  wedges  into  the  cut  made  by  the  saw,  and  then 
moistening  them.  I  know  that  great  stones  can  be  split  in 
that  way.  They  may  have  used  both  methods.  However, 
it  doesn't  matter  to  us  much  how  they  did  it.  It  is  clear  that 
they  could  in  some  way  or  other  cut  stones.  As  they  took 
the  trouble  to  do  so  here,  we  may  conclude  that  they  were 
anxious  to  have  a  smooth  floor  that  would  be  extremely  diffi- 
cult to  get  up. 

"  They  would  never  have  taken  all  this  trouble  if  they  had 
merely  been  making  a  floor  for  a  cellar.  For  that  purpose 
it  would  only  have  been  necessary  to  throw  rocks  and  stones 
of  all  sizes  into  the  vacant  space  below,  and  when  it  was 
nearly  full,  to  level  it  with  small  stones  and  sand.  That  they 
chose  to  undertake  such  tremendous  labour  as  the  making 
of  so  regular  a  floor  as  this  must  have  been,  shows  that  they 
had  some  very  strong  motive  for  doing  so." 

Going  carefully  along  the  track  they  had  cleared,  they 
found  that  the  stones  were  of  different  sizes;  some  were  but 
two  feet  wide,  others  as  much  as  ten,  but  all  fitted  so  closely 
together  that  it  was  difficult  to  see  the  joints. 

"•It  is  going  to  be  a  hard  job  to  get  these  out,  Bertie," 
Harry  said,  when  they  had  completed  their  examination, 
"  and  it  is  lucky  for  us  that  the  room  gradually  narrows  from 
sixteen  feet  wide  to  two  at  the  other  end,  and  when  we 
stepped  it  we  made  it  eighty  feet  long.  We  need  not  take 
up  the  stones  near  the  rock  wall,  for  the  ravine  would  nat- 
urally narrow  as  it  went  lower,  and  the  depth  would  be 
greatest  by  the  side  of  the  wall  of  the  tunnel." 


AT  WORK  277 

"Well,  we  shall  soon  blow  up  the  stones  when  we  have 
got  the  powder." 

"  I  hope  so,  Bertie ;  but  I  see  that  we  shall  have  difficulty 
unless  these  top  stones  are  extraordinarily  thick." 

Bertie  looked  surprised.  "Why,  I  should  have  thought 
the  thicker  they  were  the  more  difficult  to  break  up." 

"  Beyond  a  certain  point  that  would  be  so.  But  suppose 
they  are  six  inches  thick,  you  may  take  it  for  granted  that 
underneath  there  will  be  rubble,  loose  stuff,  except  where 
any  chambers  may  be  built.  If  we  were  to  bore  a  hole 
through  this  top  layer  the  powder,  instead  of  splitting  the 
stones  up,  would  expend  its  force  among  the  loose  stuff  be- 
neath it;  and  besides,  instead  of  remaining  in  its  place,  it 
might  get  scattered,  and  we  would  then  get  no  explosion 
at  all." 

"  Then  we  should  only  have  to  make  the  hole  four  inches 
deep,  Harry  ? " 

"  As  a  result  of  which  there  would  only  be  two  inches 
of  tamping  over  the  powder,  and  this  would  blow  right  out, 
as  if  from  a  little  mortar,  and  would  have  no  effect  whatever 
upon  the  stone.  I  have  no  doubt  that  we  shall  find  some 
way  to  get  over  these  difficulties,  but  it  is  evident  that  the 
work  will  not  be  all  clear  sailing." 

"  Of  course  we  shall  manage  it  somehow,  Harry,  even  if 
we  have  to  smash  up  all  the  stones  with  the  sledge-hammers 
Dias  will  bring  us." 

"Is  breakfast  nearly  ready,  senora?  That  swim  in  the 
sea  has  given  us  a  prodigious  appetite.  Did  you  enjoy  it?" 

Maria  nodded. 

"  It  is  very  nice,  senor ;  but  I  should  have  liked  it  better 
if  the  water  had  not  been  so  blue.  It  seems  so  strange  bath- 
ing in  blue  water." 

"You  will  soon  get  accustomed  to  it,"  Bertie  laughed. 
"  There  are  no  pools  except  that  one  two  miles  up  the  valley. 
Besides,  it  is  much  nicer  to  have  a  great  bathing  chamber 
all  to  yourself.  Here  comes  Jose ! " 


278          THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  INCAS 

"  Well,  Jose,  are  the  mules  all  right  ? "  he  shouted. 

"Yes,  but  I  had  difficulty  in  catching  them.  They  had 
evidently  been  frightened  by  something,  and  were  three  miles 
up  the  valley  with  their  coats  all  staring.  It  must  have  been 
either  a  puma  or  a  jaguar.  Of  course  they  must  have  got 
wind  of  him  in  time;  but  as,  fortunately,  they  were  not 
tethered,  they  were  able  to  get  away  from  him." 

"  I  should  think  he  must  be  up  somewhere  among  the 
bushes,  Jose,"  Harry  said.  "  We  had  better  go  down  to- 
night and  see  if  he  returns  again.  We  shall  be  losing  some 
of  the  mules  if  we  don't  put  a  stop  to  his  marauding.  Be- 
sides, it  will  be  very  dangerous  for  you,  Jose,  cutting  the 
wood  up  there,  if  he  is  lurking  somewhere.  It  is  fortunate 
that  you  escaped  yesterday." 

"  I  expect  he  was  on  the  other  side  of  the  ravine,  senor ; 
and  even  if  he  had  not  been,  the  sound  of  the  chopping  would 
have  scared  him.  They  will  not  often  attack  in  the  day- 
time." 

When  they  had  finished  their  breakfast  Jose  asked  what 
he  should  do  next. 

"  There  is  nothing  else  to  do,  so  it  would  be  as  well  to 
take  our  pickaxes  and  get  some  of  those  brackets  out  of  the 
walls.  We  will  begin  with  the  other  rooms  of  this  floor 
and  leave  these  here  till  the  last." 

"  I  will  come  and  hold  a  torch  for  you,  senors,"  Maria  said. 
"  I  like  to  be  doing  something.  I  will  wash  up  first,  and 
then  I  shall  have  nothing  to  do  till  it  is  time  to  get  ready 
for  dinner.  Now  I  know  there  is  a  savage  beast  about  I 
should  not  like  to  go  down  the  ladder." 

"  There  is  very  little  chance  of  his  coming  down  the  rocks," 
Harry  said.  "  He  is  more  likely  to  be  lying  somewhere  on 
the  other  side  watching  the  mules." 

No  move  was  made  until  the  woman  was  ready  to  start. 
Then  they  lit  two  torches.  She  took  one  and  Bertie  the 
other,  while  Jose  and  Harry  took  two  picks.  It  was  hard 
work,  for  the  brackets  were  driven  far  into  the  pillars  and 


AT  WOBZ  279 

walls.  It  was  necessary  to  knock  away  the  stones  round 
them  to  a  depth  of  two  or  three  inches  before  they  could  be 
got  out.  They  worked  one  at  each  side  of  a  bracket,  reliev- 
ing each  other  by  turns,  and  after  four  hours'  work  only 
eighteen  brackets  had  been  got  out.  As  far  as  they  could 
tell  by  lifting  them,  the  weight  was  somewhat  greater  than 
they  had  at  first  supposed.  Harry  could  hold  one  out  in 
each  hand  for  a  minute  and  a  half,  Bertie  and  Jose  for  a 
little  over  half  a  minute,  and  they  agreed  that  they  must 
be  about  twenty  pounds  each. 

By  this  time  their  shoulders  ached,  and  it  was  agreed  that 
they  had  done  a  good  day's  work.  For  the  rest  of  the  day 
they  did  nothing  but  sit  on  the  sill  of  the  window  and  smoke 
quietly.  The  next  day's  work  was  similar,  and  twenty  more 
brackets  were  got  out.  Late  in  the  afternoon  they  saw  Dias 
coming  down  the  steps,  and  at  once  went  down  the  ladder 
to  meet  him. 

"  Have  you  got  everything,  Dias  ?  " 

"  I  think  so,  senor,  and  I  can  tell  you  that  the  mules  have 
had  a  pretty  heavy  load  to  bring  back." 

"  Well,  we  will  go  with  you  at  once,  Dias,  and  bring  some 
of  the  things  up.  I  expect  you  have  had  nothing  to  eat 
since  the  morning.  Before  you  do  anything  else  you  had 
better  go  in.  Your  wife  has  been  keeping  a  dish  hot  for 
you,  as  she  did  not  know  when  you  might  arrive." 

"I  shall  not  be  long  before  I  come  and  help  you,  senor. 
I  have  unsaddled  the  mules  and  turned  them  out  to  graze." 

"It  is  just  as  well,  Dias,  for  there  is  a  beast  somewhere 
about  that  gave  them  a  fright  last  night.  We  will  get  all 
the  eatables  up  to-night,  the  powder  and  drills  and  hammers 
we  can  very  well  leave  till  to-morrow  morning." 

It  took  them  four  trips  to  bring  the  provisions  over,  for 
it  required  two  of  them  to  carry  each  sack  of  flour,  and  in- 
deed al)  had  to  give  their  aid  in  getting  them  up  the  rocky 
slope  at  the  foot  of  the  wall. 

"  No  one  seemed  to  think  it  unusual,  your  taking  so  large 


280          THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  INCAS 

a  load,  I  hope,  Bias  ? "  Harry  said  as  they  sat  down  to  their 
evening  meal. 

"  No,  senor.  The  man  I  bought  the  powder  of  was  a  little 
surprised  at  the  amount  I  wanted;  but  I  said  that  I  might 
be  absent  many  weeks  in  the  mountains,  and  I  might  want 
to  drive  a  level  in  any  lode  that  I  might  discover.  I  led  him 
to  believe  that  I  had  seen  a  spot  in  the  mountains  that  gave 
good  indications,  and  that  two  of  my  comrades  were  waiting 
there  for  my  return  to  begin  work  at  it.  I  sold  the  llamas 
to  a  man  who  carries  goods  from  Ancon  up  to  Canta,  and 
got  the  same  price  that  you  gave  for  them." 

Harry  then  told  him  the  work  on  which  he  had  been 
engaged  since  he  had  been  away. 

"  Of  course  there  is  no  hurry  about  the  brackets,  but  as 
we  could  do  nothing  else  without  the  powder  and  drills,  it 
was  just  as  well  to  get  them  out,  as  otherwise  we  might  have 
been  delayed  when  we  had  done  our  other  work.  We  think 
that  they  weigh  twenty  pounds  each,  so  that  altogether  they 
will  be  worth  nearly  four  thousand  pounds.  Not  a  bad  start. 
I  am  afraid  we  sha'n't  make  such  quick  work  down  below." 

"  We  shall  see,"  Dias  said  cheerfully,  for  now  that  his  fear 
of  the  demons  had  passed  he  was  as  eager  as  Harry  himself 
to  begin  the  search  for  the  treasure. 

l<  Has  Maria  seen  any  more  bats  ?  " 

"  Yes,  she  has  seen  some  more  bats,"  his  wife  said,  "  but 
no  demons.  Dias,  what  do  you  think?  Don  Harry  sug- 
gested that  we  might  eat  the  bats." 

"  I  have  heard  of  their  being  eaten,"  Dias  said,  "  and  a 
man  who  ate  them  raw  told  me  that  he  had  never  enjoyed 
anything  more.  But  I  should  not  like  to  try  it  myself,  un- 
less I  were  driven  to  it  as  he  was." 

"How  was  that,  Dias?" 

"  He  was  a  muleteer,  senor,  and  was  up  in  the  mountains. 
He  had  a  cargo  of  silver  on  his  mule,  and  during  the  day 
he  had  seen  some  men  who  he  doubted  not  were  brigands  on 
the  top  of  the  ravine  he  passed  through.  He  knew  of  a 


AT  WORK  281 

cavern  where  he  had  once  taken  refuge  with  the  animals 
during  a  storm.  It  lay  on  the  hillside  some  twenty  or  thirty 
yards  away  from  the  road.  The  entrance  was  hidden  by 
bushes,  and  he  had  first  noticed  it  by  seeing  a  bear  come  out 
as  he  was  passing  along.  He  had  his  pistols,  and  thought 
that  it  was  better  to  risk  meeting  a  bear  than  a  brigand. 
He  arrived  opposite  the  cave  just  as  it  became  dark,  and  at 
once  led  the  mules  up  there.  He  first  lighted  a  torch — the 
muleteers  always  carry  these  with  them — and  then  went  in 
with  his  pistols  ready,  but  there  were  no  signs  of  a  bear  any- 
where near  the  entrance. 

"  He  drove  the  mules  in  and  put  out  his  torch.  The  en- 
trance had  been  only  wide  enough  for  the  laden  animals  to 
pass,  but  it  widened  out  a  great  deal  inside.  He  took  off 
the  loads,  piled  them  up  in  the  narrow  part  to  make  a  barri- 
cade, and  then  sat  down  at  the  entrance  and  listened.  He 
soon  heard  five  or  six  men  come  down  the  road  talking. 
They  were  walking  fast,  and  one  was  saying  that  he  could 
not  be  more  than  half  a  mile  ahead,  and  that  they  should 
soon  catch  him.  When  they  had  gone,  he  went  some  dis- 
tance in  the  cave  and  relighted  his  torch.  He  went  on  and 
on.  The  cave  was  a  very  large  one,  and  when  he  had  gone, 
as  he  thought,  four  or  five  hundred  yards,  it  branched  off 
into  three.  He  took  the  middle  one,  and  followed  it  for  a 
long  way.  At  last  it  opened  into  a  large  chamber  from 
which  there  were  several  passages.  Here  he  found  a  large 
number  of  things  that  had  evidently  been  stolen  from  mule- 
teers. There  were  at  least  a  dozen  mule  loads  of  silver; 
goods  of  all  kinds  that  had  been  brought  up  from  the  coast ; 
the  ashes  of  fires,  and  a  great  many  bones  and  skins  of  llamas, 
and  some  sacks  of  flour. 

He  thought  he  would  now  return  to  the  mules ;  but  appar- 
ently he  entered  the  wrong  passage,  for  he  went  on  till  he 
felt  sure  he  ought  to  be  in  the  chamber  where  he  had  left 
the  animals,  and  he  was  turning  to  go  back  when  he  tripped 
over  a  stone  and  fell,  and  his  torch  went  out.  Then  he  felt 


282          THE  TBEASUKE  OF  THE  IXCAS 

in  his  pocket  for  his  box  of  matches,  and  to  his  horror  found 
that  it  had  gone.  It  must  have  dropped  out  when  he  was 
examining  the  passages.  He  did  not  think  much  of  it  at 
first,  but  he  had  passed  several  openings  on  his  way,  and  in 
the  dark  he  probably  turned  down  one  of  these.  At  any  rate 
he  lost  his  way  somehow,  and  wandered  about,  he  thinks,  for 
hours ;  but  it  might  have  been  much  less,  for  he  told  me  that 
he  quite  lost  his  head.  At  last  he  came  out  into  a  place 
where  he  could  only  feel  the  rock  on  one  side  of  him,  and 
knew  that  he  must  be  in  a  large  chamber. 

"  Looking  up  he  saw,  to  his  joy,  a  faint  light,  and  moving 
a  little,  caught  sight  of  a  star.  He  was  utterly  worn  out, 
and  threw  himself  down.  He  was  awakened  by  a  strange 
rustling  sound,  and  looking  up  saw  that  daylight  was  break- 
ing, and  that  a  stream  of  bats  was  pouring  in  through  a 
hole,  which  was  about  three  feet  wide.  He  made  several 
efforts  to  climb  up  to  it,  but  failed.  The  bats  hung  thickly 
from  every  projecting  point  in  the  rocks.  He  hurt  himself 
badly  in  one  of  the  attempts  to  get  up,  and  twisted  his  foot. 
All  day  he  lay  there.  Then  the  idea  struck  him  that  he 
would  kill  a  bat,  cut  it  open,  and  use  it  as  a  poultice  to 
his  foot.  The  creatures  did  not  move  when  he  touched 
them,  and  he  cut  off  the  head  of  one  of  them  and  split 
it  open.  He  did  this  three  or  four  times  during  the  day, 
and  felt  that  the  application  was  easing  the  pain  of  his 
ankle. 

"When  it  became  dusk  the  bats  flew  out  again,  and  he 
knew  his  only  chance  was  to  keep  his  ankle  perfectly  rested. 
In  the  morning  he  killed  some  more  bats.  He  was  by  this 
time  tortured  with  thirst,  and  sucked  the  blood  of  one  of 
them,  and  in  the  afternoon  ate  one  raw.  Another  night 
passed,  and  in  the  morning  he  felt  so  much  better  that  he 
could  make  another  trial.  He  ate  another  bat  to  give  him 
strength,  and  in  the  middle  of  the  day  made  a  fresh  attempt. 
'He  had  while  lying  there  carefully  examined  the  wall  of 
jock,  at  the  top  of  which  was  the  opening,  and  had  made 


AT  WOEK  283 

up  his  mind  at  what  point  would  be  best  to  try.  This  time 
he  succeeded.  He  made  his  way  down  the  hillside,  and 
found  that  he  was  a  quarter  of  a  mile  higher  up  the  pass 
than  the  spot  at  which  he  had  left  the  mules.  He  hobbled 
down,  and  to  his  delight  found  his  animals  still  in  the 
cavern. 

"  He  had  when  he  first  got  there  opened  their  sack  of  grain 
in  order  to  ensure  their  keeping  quite.  There  was  still  some 
remaining  at  the  bottom.  He  lost  no  time  in  loading  them 
and  leading  them  out,  and  made  his  way  down  the  pass  with- 
out seeing  anything  of  the  robbers.  Afterwards  he  went 
back  there  with  a  good  supply  of  torches,  found  his  way  to 
the  cave,  and  brought  down  two  mule-loads  of  silver.  Grad- 
ually he  brought  the  rest  of  the  goods  down,  and  to-day  he 
is  a  rich  man." 

"  Well,  I  think  under  those  circumstances,  Dias,  I  would 
have  eaten  bats  myself.  It  was  certainly  a  clever  idea  of  his 
to  convert  them  into  poultices,  though  the  general  opinion 
is  that  cold  bandages  are  the  best  for  a  sprained  ankle." 

Then  they  discussed  their  plans  for  the  next  day.  "I 
know  nothing  about  blasting,  senor.  You  give  me  instruc- 
tions, and  I  will  do  my  best  to  carry  them  out;  but  it  is 
useless  for  me  to  talk  of  what  I  know  nothing  about." 

"  There  is  a  lot  of  common  sense  in  that,  and  yet  in  every 
work,  Dias,  sometimes  while  a  skilled  man  is  puzzling  how 
to  do  a  thing  a  looker-on  will  suggest  a  satisfactory  plan. 
That  treasure  has  been  buried  there  I  have  no  doubt  what- 
ever. They  would  never  have  gone  to  the  labour  of  paving 
those  cellars  as  carefully  as  they  have  done  unless  for  some 
special  purpose.  The  floor  was  undoubtedly  made  when  the 
house  was  built,  and  if  we  find  treasure-chambers  there  they 
will  be  those  of  the  old  people.  Of  course  they  may  have 
been  discovered  by  the  Incas,  and  when  they  in  turn  wanted 
to  bury  treasure  this  place  might  occur  to  them  as  being 
particularly  well  fitted  to  escape  search  by  Spaniards.  How- 
ever, to-morrow  we  shall  learn  something  more  about  them. 


284          THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  INCAS 

The  first  thing  to  do  in  the  morning,  when  we  have  brought 
up  the  rest  of  the  goods,  is  to  sweep  the  floors  of  those 
chambers  carefully.  When  we  have  done  that  we  will  de- 
termine where  to  set  to  work." 

Two  trips  brought  up  the  powder  and  instruments. 

"  We  will  take  one  of  the  kegs  of  powder  down  with  us," 
said  Harry,  "  and  leave  the  other  five  in  the  empty  room 
behind  this.  It  is  just  as  well  not  to  have  them  in  this 
room;  the  sparks  fly  about,  and  some  things  might  catch 
fire.  I  don't  think  there  is  any  real  danger,  but,  at  the  same 
time,  it  is  best  to  be  on  the  safe  side." 

"There  are  a  dozen  pounds  of  candles  HI  this  bundle, 
senor.  You  did  not  tell  me  to  get  them,  but  I  thought  they 
might  be  useful." 

"  Thank  you,  Bias !  they  certainly  will  be  useful.  What 
are  they  ?— tallow  ?" 

"Yes,  senor." 

"  Then  before  we  go  down  we  will  get  a  couple  of  pieces 
of  flat  wood,  and  drive  a  peg  into  each,  sharpened  at  the 
upper  end.  Candles  stuck  on  these  will  stand  upright,  and 
we  can  put  them  down  close  to  where  we  are  working.  They 
will  give  a  better  light  than  a  torch,  and  leave  us  all 
free  to  use  the  tools.  Did  you  think  of  buying  some  more 
tinder?" 

"  Yes,  senor,  I  have  five  boxes,  and  half  a  dozen  more 
flints." 

They  carried  the  keg  of  powder,  the  sledges,  drills,  and 
wedges  downstairs,  and  then  Dias  and  Jose  set  to  work  to 
sweep  out  the  two  chambers.  The  work  was  easy,  but  they 
were  obliged  to  stop  several  times,  being  almost  choked  with 
the  light  dust.  Harry  and  Bertie  offered  to  take  their  turn, 
but  the  others  would  not  hear  of  it,  and  they  were  glad  to 
go  up  to  what  they  called  their  drawing-room  until  the  work 
was  done  and  the  dust  had  settled  a  little.  Then  they  ex- 
amined the  pavement  carefully  with  their  torches.  They 
had  hoped  that  they  might  find  either  copper  rings,  or  at 


AT  WORK  285 

least  holes  where  rings  had  been  fastened,  but  there  were 
no  signs  whatever  of  such  things  in  either  of  the  chambers. 

"  We  will  begin  to  work  half-way  down,"  Harry  said. 
"  Of  course  the  treasure  may  lie  near  the  cistern  end,  but 
the  depth  below  the  floor  would  be  very  shallow  there.  More 
likely  the  chambers  would  be  at  the  deep  end.  If  we  begin 
in  the  middle  we  may  be  pretty  sure  that  we  have  not  passed 
them.  We  will  begin  rather  nearer  the  passage  wall  than 
the  other,  as  the  depth  there  will  be  greater.  It  does  not 
matter  which  stone  we  take,  one  is  as  likely  as  another.  Step 
ten  paces  from  the  cistern,  Bertie,  and  the  stone  you  stop 
on  we  will  try  first." 

When  Bertie  came  to  a  stand-still  they  carefully  examined 
the  pavement.  "You  are  standing  on  one  of  the  cracks, 
Bertie ;  I  will  stay  there  while  you  all  bring  the  tools  along." 

"Shall  I  open  the  powder?"  Bertie  asked. 

"No»  It  is  no  good  doing  that  until  we  have  quite  de- 
cided what  we  are  going  to  do.  The  wedges  certainly  won't 
go  into  this  crack.  I  think  our  best  plan  will  be  to  sink  a 
bore-hole  about  two  inches  from  the  crack.  We  will  drive 
it  in  in  a  slanting  direction  towards  the  edge,  and  in  that 
way  it  will  have  more  chance  of  blowing  a  piece  out.  First 
of  all,  we  must  make  a  slight  indentation  with  a  pick,  other- 
wise we  sha'n't  get  the  bore  to  work.  I  will  begin." 

He  took  a  pick  and  struck  several  blows. 

"  It  is  very  hard  stone,"  he  said.  "  I  have  scarcely  made 
a  mark  upon  it." 

He  worked  for  some  time,  and  then  let  Bertie  take  the 
pick.  The  lad  struck  a  blow  with  all  his  strength,  and  then 
dropped  the  pick  with  a  loud  cry,  wringing  his  hands  as  he 
did  so. 

"You  have  jarred  your  hands,  Bertie;  you  should  not 
hold  the  haft  so  tightly." 

"  It  did  sting ! "  Bertie  said.  "  I  feel  as  if  I  had  taken 
hold  of  a  red-hot  poker.  It  has  jarred  my  arm  up  to  the 
shoulder;  I  can't  go  on  at  present." 


286          THE  TBEASUEE  OP  THE  INCAS 

"  You  try,  Diae." 

Dias  went  more  carefully  to  work,  knelt  down  on  one  knee, 
and  proceeded  to  give  a  number  of  what  seemed  light  blows. 

"  That  is  better  than  I  did,  Dias.  The  stone  is  crumbling 
into  dust,  and  we  shall  be  able  to  use  the  borer  in  a  short 
time.  Perhaps  it  will  be  better  after  all  to  drive  the  hole 
down  straight.  It  will  be  easier  to  begin  with;  when  we  see 
how  thick  the  stone  is  we  shall  know  better  how  to  proceed." 

In  ten  minutes  Dias  had  made  a  hole  a  quarter  of  an  inch 
deep. 

"  Now,  give  me  one  of  the  borers — that  one  about  two  and 
a  half  feet  long.  I  will  hold  it,  and  you  strike  to  begin  with, 
Dias,  only  mind  my  fingers.  Keep  your  eye  fixed  on  the  top 
of  the  borer,  and  take  one  or  two  gentle  strokes  to  begin 
with;  then,  when  you  know  the  distance  you  have  to  stand 
from  it,  do  your  best.  You  needn't  really  be  afraid  of 
striking  my  fingers.  I  shall  hold  the  drill  at  least  a  foot 
from  the  top." 

Dias  began  very  carefully,  gradually  adding  to  the  strength 
of  the  blows  as  he  got  the  right  distance,  and  was  soon  strik- 
ing hard.  After  each  blow  Harry  turned  the  borer  a  slight 
distance  round.  When  he  heard  the  native's  breath  coming 
fast  he  told  Jose  to  take  a  turn.  The  lad  was  nervous;  the 
first  blow  he  struck  only  grazed  the  top  of  the  borer,  and 
narrowly  missed  Harry's  fingers.  Jose  dropped  the  sledge. 
"  I  can't  do  it,  senor ;  I  am  afraid  of  hitting  your  fingers.  I 
will  sit  down  and  hold  it ;  it  does  not  matter  if  you  hit  me." 

"It  would  matter  a  good  deal,  Jose.  No,  no;  you  have 
got  to  learn." 

"  Would  it  not  be  well,  senor,"  Dias  said,  "  to  take  the 
borers  and  three  hammers  outside,  and  try  them  in  soft 
ground?  We  could  work  them  there  till  we  all  got  accus- 
tomed always  to  hit  them  fair.  There  would  be  no  occasion 
for  them  to  be  held,  and  we  should  get  confident.  I  could 
have  hit  twice  as  hard  as  I  did,  if  I  hadn't  been  afraid  of 
missing  it." 


AT  WOKK  287 

"I  think  that  is  a  very  good  plan,  Bias.  The  loss  of  a 
day  or  two  will  make  no  difference.  We  shall  make  up  for 
it  afterwards." 

Accordingly  the  drills  and  hammers  were  all  taken  up,  and 
they  were  soon  at  work.  Two  or  three  gentle  taps  were  given 
to  the  borers,  to  make  them  stand  upright,  and  then  all  four 
began  work.  At  first  they  often  either  missed  the  heads  of 
the  borers  or  struck  them  unevenly. 

"  It  is  well,  Dias,  that  we  carried  out  your  suggestion,  as 
I  see  I  should  have  had  an  uncommonly  good  chance  of  get- 
ting my  fingers  smashed,  or  a  wrist  broken.  I  have  missed 
as  often  as  any  of  you." 

They  stopped  frequently  for  breath,  and  at  the  end  of  an 
hour  were  glad  to  lay  down  their  hammers.  Dias  was  com- 
paratively fresh;  his  practice  as  a  woodsman  now  did  him 
good  service. 

"  I  should  have  thought  from  the  number  of  trees  that  I 
have  helped  to  cut  down,"  Bertie  said,  "  that  I  could  hit 
pretty  hard,  but  this  is  a  great  deal  stiffer  work.  I  should 
say  that  this  hammer  is  at  least  twice  the  weight  of  the  axe, 
and  it  is  the  lightest  of  the  four.  I  ache  a  good  deal  worse 
than  I  did  when  I  first  chopped  that  tree  down." 

"  So  do  I,  Bertie.  We  will  stick  at  this  till  we  get  accus- 
tomed to  the  work.  By  doing  so  we  shall  gain  strength  as 
well  as  skill." 

"I  will  get  some  grease,  senor,  from  Maria,  and  then  I 
will  rub  your  shoulders,  and  arms;  that  will  do  you  a  great 
deal  of  good." 

"  Thank  you,  Dias.    It  would  be  a  good  plan !  " 

Dias  did  this  to  Jose  as  well  as  to  the  brothers,  and  then 
Jose  in  turn  rubbed  him. 

They  waited  half  an  hour,  and  then  Harry  said :  "  Let  us 
have  another  spell."  This  time  a  quarter  of  an  hour  sufficed. 
"  It  is  of  no  use,  Harry ;  I  can't  go  on  any  longer,"  Bertie 
said.  "  I  feel  as  if  my  shoulders  were  broken." 

"I  am  beginning  to  feel  the  same,  Bertie.    However,  we 


288          THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  INCAS 

are  all  hitting  straighter  now.  We  will  go  up  into  the  shade 
and  take  it  quietly  for  two  or  three  hours ;  then  we  will  have 
a  spell  again." 

However,  after  the  rest,  they  all  agreed  that  it  would  be 
useless  to  try  again,  for  they  could  not  lift  their  arms  over 
their  heads  without  feeling  acute  pain.  Three  days  were 
spent  at  this  exercise,  and  at  the  end  of  that  time  they  had 
gained  confidence,  and  the  heads  of  the  drills  were  no  longer 
missed. 

After  the  first  day  they  only  worked  for  a  quarter  of  an 
hour  at  a  time,  taking  an  hour's  rest!  The  pain  in  their 
arms  had  begun  to  abate.  On  the  following  day  they  prac- 
tised striking  alternately,  three  standing  round  one  borer. 
They  found  this  at  first  awkward,  but  by  the  end  of  the  day 
they  were  able  to  strike  in  regular  order,  the  blows  falling 
faster  after  each  other  on  to  the  drill. 

"  I  think  we  shall  do  now,"  said  Bertie.  "  No  doubt  we 
shall  hit  harder  with  a  fortnight's  practice,  and  shall  be  able 
to  keep  it  up  longer.  However,  I  think  that  even  now  we 
have  sufficient  confidence  in  striking  to  be  able  to  hold  the 
borer  without  any  fear  of  an  accident." 

The  next  day  they  began  work  early  in  the  cellar.  Jose 
volunteered  to  take  the  first  turn  to  hold  the  drill. 

"  You  understand,  Jose,  you  must  turn  it  round  a  little 
after  each  stroke,  and  in  that  way  it  will  cut  the  hole  regu- 
larly." 

Harry  took  his  place  on  one  side  of  Jose,  who  sat  with 
a  leg  on  each  side  of  the  drill.  Dias  stood  facing  Harry, 
Bertie  behind  Jose,  holding  the  torch  so  that  its  light  fell 
strongly  on  the  head  of  the  drill.  At  first  the  two  men 
struck  gently,  but  gradually,  as  they  grew  confident,  in- 
creased the  weight  of  their  strokes  until  they  were  hitting 
with  their  full  power.  After  ten  minutes  they  stopped. 
"  Let  us  look  at  the  hole,"  Harry  said.  "  How  far  has  it 
got  down  ? " 

Jose  moved  his  position  and  Harry  examined  the  hole. 


AT   WORK  28  9 

"  About  an  eighth  of  an  inch,"  he  said.  "  Let  us  scrape  the 
dust  out  of  it." 

"  Shall  we  take  a  spell  now,  Harry  ?  "  Bertie  said. 

"  No,  we  will  wait  five  minutes  and  then  go  on  again,  and 
after  that  we  will  change  places  with  you,  relieving  each- 
other  every  twenty  minutes." 

The  work  went  on,  and  at  the  end  of  two  hours  the  hole 
was  three  inches  deep.  Another  hour  and  a  half  and  the 
drill  suddenly  went  down. 

"  We  are  through  it,"  Bertie  said,  "  and  I  am  not  sorry." 

"  Now  I  will  lift  the  drill  up  gently,  Bertie ;  do  you  kneel 
down,  and  when  I  stop,  take  hold  of  it  close  to  the  floor,  so 
that  we  may  see  the  thickness  of  the  stone." 

"  Five  inches,"  he  said  as  he  measured  it.  "  Now  put  on 
a  little  grease,  Dias.  I  will  lower  it  again,  and  we  shall  be 
perhaps  able  then  to  get  some  idea  of  what  is  underneath." 

He  lowered  the  drill  and  turned  it  round  two  or  three 
times,  and  then  carefully  raised  it.  Some  sand  and  little 
stones  were  sticking  to  it." 

"  Sand  and  gravel,"  he  said.  "  That  settles  that  point. 
Now  we  have  done  a  good  morning's  work,  and  let  us  go  up 
and  have  breakfast." 

Maria  looked  enquiringly  at  them.  "  I  was  just  coming 
down  for  you.  Well,  what  have  you  done  ?  " 

"  We  have  drilled  one  hole,  Maria,  and  none  of  us  have 
got  our  fingers  smashed,  so  I  think  we  have  every  reason  to 
be  satisfied  with  our  first  experience  at  the  work." 

As  they  breakfasted  they  talked  matters  over.  Harry  said 
that  he  was  certain  that  the  thickness  of  the  stone  was  not 
sufficient  for  them  to  break  it  up  by  blasting.  "  We  shall 
have  to  try  some  other  plan.  It  is  equally  certain  that  we 
cannot  smash  the  stone  with  the  sledge-hammers,  and  I  don't 
think  that  the  wedges  would  break  it.  Of  course  if  we  got 
one  stone  out  it  would  be  comparatively  easy  to  lift  the  next, 
as  we  could  put  the  crowbars  under  it.  If  we  can  do  it  in 
no  other  way,  we  must  drill  a  line  of  holes  close  to  each  other 


290  THE  TKEASUEE  OF  THE  INCAS 

right  across  the  stone,  and  we  might  then  break  off  the  piece 
between  them  and  the  crack  and  get  our  crowbars  under  the 
slab.  It  might  be  worth  while  to  drill  holes  a  foot  apart, 
from  the  point  where  we  have  begun  to  the  other  end  of  the 
room.  Of  course  if  we  found  that  gravel  and  stones  were 
everywhere  under  the  slabs  we  should  learn  nothing ;  but  the 
opening  to  the  chambers  is  probably  covered  by  another  stone, 
and  if  we  found  that,  we  could  put  in  one  or  two  more  holes 
so  as  to  be  sure  that  it  was  flat,  in  which  case  we  might 
smash  it  somehow.  Of  course,  if  we  don't  come  upon  a  flat 
stone  we  shall  conclude  that  they  put  a  layer  of  sand  and  fine 
gravel  over  the  slabs  covering  the  vaults,  and  must  then,  as 
I  say,  get  up  one  stone  and  gradually  lift  all  the  rest,  clear- 
ing out  the  gravel  as  we  go  to  the  depth  of  a  foot  or  so.  In 
that  way  we  shall  make  sure  that  we  shall  not  miss  any 
chamber  there  may  be. 

"  I  think  that  would  certainly  be  the  best  plan.  At  present 
we  are  groping  altogether  in  the  dark,  and  it  will  take  us  a 
fortnight  at  least  to  make  that  row  of  holes  close  to  each 
other,  as  you  propose." 


CHAPTER 

DISAPPOINTMENT 

SIX  more  days  were  spent  in  driving  holes  according  to 
Harry's  plans.  The  result  was  in  all  cases  the  same. 
Sand  and  small  stones  were  brought  up  attached  to  the 
grease.  They  had  now  sunk  the  holes  at  a  much  more  rapid 
rate  than  at  first,  for  they  were  accustomed  to  the  work,  their 
muscles  had  hardened,  and  they  were  able  to  strike  more 
frequently  and  with  greater  force.  They  would  have  got  on 
still  more  quickly  had  it  not  been  for  the  trouble  in  sharpen- 
ing the  drills.  These  were  heated  in  the  small  blacksmith's 
fire  Bias  had  brought.  They  were  first  placed  in  the  fire, 


DISAPPOINTMENT  291 

but  this  was  not  sufficiently  hot  to  raise  them  beyond  a  dull 
red  glow.  When  this  was  done  a  shovelful  of  glowing  frag- 
ments was  taken  from  the  fire  and  placed  on  the  hearth,  and 
among  these  the  small  bellows  raised  the  ends  of  the  drills 
to  a  white  heat,  when  of  course  they  were  easily  worked.  At 
first  they  had  some  difficulty  in  tempering  them.  Sometimes, 
when  cooled,  the  points  were  too  soft,  at  other  times  too 
brittle;  but  at  the  end  of  a  week  they  had  arrived  at  the 
proper  medium.  But  one  of  the  party  had  to  work  steadily 
to  keep  the  drills  in  good  order. 

Bertie  was  daily  employed  at  this  work,  as  Jose  generally 
failed  to  give  the  proper  temper  to  the  tools.  Bertie,  how- 
ever, generally  managed  to  get  in  two  or  three  hours'  work 
below.  Although  perfectly  ready  to  do  his  share,  he  was  by 
no  means  sorry  to  be  otherwise  employed  for  a  part  of  the 
day,  and  as  he  was  now  able  to  talk  Spanish  with  perfect 
fluency  he  and  Donna  Maria  maintained  a  lively  conversation 
whenever  they  were  together.  All  the  party,  however,  were 
glad  when  Sunday  came  round  and  gave  them  a  day  of  com- 
plete rest ;  then  they  would  bathe,  fish,  shoot  pigeons,  or  lie 
in  the  shade,  each  according  to  his  fancy,  and  recommence 
work  with  fresh  vigour  the  next  morning. 

Just  a  fortnight  after  they  had  begun  work  they  were 
about  to  begin  a  hole  in  a  fresh  stone.  Talking  it  over,  they 
had  come  to  the  conclusion  that  this  was  the  most  likely  spot 
in  the  cellar  for  the  situation  of  an  underground  chamber. 
Fartaer  on  there  would  scarce  be  width  for  one,  for  it  was 
here  but  eight  feet  across.  Where  they  had  already  tried 
there  would  scarcely  have  been  depth  enough.  This  seemed 
to  them  to  be  the  happy  medium. 

Before  setting  to  work  Dias  passed  his  torch  over  the 
stone.  Presently  he  stopped.  "  Will  you  light  two  of  the 
candles,  senor;  the  torch  flickers  too  much  to  see  very 
plainly." 

Somewhat  surprised,  for  no  such  close  examination  had 
been  made  before,  the  candles  were  lighted  and  handed  to 


292          THE  TBEASURE  OP  THE  INCAS 

him.  Bias  knelt  down,  and,  with  his  face  close  to  the  stone, 
moved  about  carefully,  examining  it  for  some  minutes  with- 
out speaking. 

"This  stone,  senor,  is  broken,"  he  said  at  last,  "broken 
into  a  dozen  pieces,  and  they  have  been  so  carefully  fitted 
together  again  that  the  dust  that  settled  upon  it  quite  pre- 
vented our  seeing  it  till  we  swept  it  again  just  now,  and  it 
was  only  because  there  was  a  tiny  chip  out  where  I  first 
looked  that  I  noticed  it." 

Harry  knelt  down  and  also  examined  the  stone.  Like  all 
the  others,  it  had  not  been  faced  with  tools.  Consequently, 
although  roughly  even,  there  were  slight  irregularities  in  the 
surface.  Now,  as  Dias  pointed  them  out  to  him,  he  saw  that 
there  were  lines  running  through  it  here  and  there. 

"  Look  here,  senor.  The  stone  has  been  struck  here.  Here 
are  some  dents." 

These  were  scarcely  noticeable.  The  surface  had  taken  the 
same  colour  as  the  rest  of  the  stone.  They  were 'of  irregular 
size,  and  from  a  quarter  of  an  inch  to  an  inch  in  diameter, 
and  nearly  in  the  centre  of  the  stone,  from  which  point  sev- 
eral of  the  cracks  started. 

"It  certainly  looks  as  if  the  stone  had  been  struck  with 
something  heavy,"  Harry  said.  "  I  should  think,  by  the  ap- 
pearance, some  very  heavy  piece  of  rock  must  have  been 
dropped  upon  it." 

"Yes,  senor,  very  heavy  rock — so  heavy  that  there  must 
have  been  many  men  to  lift  it." 

"  It  must  have  been  heavy  indeed  to  break  up  this  slab." 

"  Perhaps  it  is  not  so  thick  as  the  others,"  Dias  suggested. 

"  I  don't  like  it,  Dias.  Well,  let  us  set  to  work.  We  will 
try  the  wedges  there.  They  were  no  use  against  the  solid 
stone,  but  they  might  move  these  pieces.  Put  one  of  the 
borers  just  at  the  place  from  which  these  cracks  start — at 
least,  I  suppose  they  are  cracks — and  let  us  drive  it  in  for  an 
inch.  You  hold  it,  Jose.  Don't  turn  it,  we  want  it  to  go  in 
just  in  a  line  with  this  crack.  I  know  we  cannot  drive  it  in 


DISAPPOINTMENT  293 

¥ar,  but  at  least  we  may  make  it  go  deep  enough  to  give  a 
wedge  a  hold  in  it." 

Five  such  small  holes  were  made  in  a  crack  that  seemed 
to  form  a  rough  circle,  then  the  wedges  were  put  in,  and  they 
began  to  work  with  sledges.  In  ten  minutes  Harry,  examin- 
ing the  place  carefully,  said :  "  The  bit  of  stone  is  breaking 
up.  There  are  lines  running  across  it  from  the  wedges. 
Give  me  the  heaviest  sledge."  He  swung  it  round  his  head 
and  brought  it  down  half  a  dozen  times  in  the  centre  of  the 
wedges.  The  cracks  opened  so  far  that  he  could  see  them 
without  stooping. 

"  Now  we  will  try  with  the  crowbars,"  he  said. 

In  ten  minutes  a  fragment  of  the  stone  was  got  up;  then 
they  hammered  on  the  wedges  again,  and  a  piece  of  rock, 
which  was  roughly  seven  or  eight  inches  in  diameter,  broke 
completely  off. 

"  It  is  only  about  two  and  a  half  inches  thick,"  Harry  said 
as  he  drew  one  of  the  fragments  out.  And,  holding  the  can- 
dle to  the  hole,  he  went  on :  "  And  there  is  another  slab 
underneath.  That  settles  it.  We  are  at  the  top  of  one  of 
these  vaults.  The  question  is,  is  it  empty?  I  am  afraid  it 
is.  This  stone  has  evidently  been  broken  up  and  fitted  in 
again  with  wonderful  care." 

"  Why  should  it  be  fitted  in  carefully  if  they  emptied  the 
chamber  ? " 

"  That  I  can't  tell  you,  Dias,  and  it  is  of  no  use  trying  to 
guess  now.  First  of  all,  we  will  get  the  rest  of  the  stone 
up.  It  won't  be  difficult,  for  now  that  we  have  made  a  start 
we  can  use  our  crowbars.  Jose,  run  up  and  tell  my  brother 
to  come  down.  We  shall  want  him  to  help  with  the  crow- 
bar; and  besides,  he  would,  of  course,  wish  to  be  here,  now 
that  we  are  on  the  point  of  making  a  discovery  one  way  or 
the  other." 

In  a  minute  Bertie  came  down  with  Jose,  and  Donna 
Maria  followed.  "  Jose  tells  me  you  have  broken  a  hole  in 
one  of  the  stones,"  Bertie  exclaimed  as  he  ran  up. 


THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  INCAS 

"  We  have  got  a  bit  out  of  a  broken  stone,  Bertie.  This 
stone  had  been  broken  before,  and  evidently  not  by  accident. 
It  is  only  half  the  thickness  of  the  others,  and,  as  you  can 
see,  there  is  another  slab  underneath." 

"  Who  can  have  broken  it,  Harry  ? " 

"  That  question  we  cannot  decide,  but  I  should  say  proba- 
bly the  Incas.  We  agreed  that  it  was  very  possible  they  dis- 
covered the  hidden  treasures  of  the  Chimoos.  They  must 
have  learned,  as  the  Spaniards  did,  how  cleverly  these  places 
were  hidden,  and  it  must  have  been  as  evident  to  them  as  it 
is  to  us,  that  if  there  was  a  hiding-place  here,  this  must  be 
the  spot." 

When  one  or  two  more  pieces  of  the  stone  had  been  got 
out  by  the  aid  of  crowbars,  the  rest  was  removed  without  the 
least  difficulty.  Another  slab  two  feet  square  was  exposed. 
In  the  middle  of  this  was  a  copper  ring,  and  the  slab  fitted 
into  a  stone  casing  about  eighteen  inches  wide.  As  soon  as 
this  casing  was  cleared,  Bias  and  Jose  took  their  places  on 
one  side,  the  two  brothers  on  the  other.  A  crowbar  was 
thrust  through  the  ring,  and  all  of  them,  taking  hold  of  the 
ends,  lifted  with  all  their  strength.  At  first  the  stone  did 
not  move,  but  at  the  second  effort  it  lifted  suddenly.  It  was 
the  same  thickness  as  the  one  they  had  broken,  and,  on  being 
moved,  was  easily  handled.  The  torches  were  thrust  down, 
and  all  peered  eagerly  into  the  vault.  So  far  as  they  could 
see  it  was  empty. 

"  Shall  I  jump  down,  senor?  " 

"  No,  the  air  may  be  bad,  Jose.  Run  up  and  bring  down 
a  short  length  of  rope,  twenty  feet  will  be  ample.  Now,  let 
your  torch  drop  down,  Dias.  If  it  burns,  it  will  be  safe  for 
us  to  go  down;  if  not,  we  must  keep  on  dropping  blazing 
brands  into  it  till  they  burn." 

As,  however,  the  torch  burnt  brightly,  Harry  lay  down, 
and,  saying,  "  Hold  my  legs,  Bertie !  "  looked  down  into  the 
vault.  Eighteen  inches  below  the  surface,  the  hole  widened 
out  suddenly.  A  minute  later  Harry's  head  appeared  above 
the  surface  again. 


DISAPPOINTMENT  295 

"It  is  empty,"  he  said  in  as  cheerful  a  voice  as  he  could 
manage.  "  Of  course  it  is  a  disappointment,"  he  went  on, 
"but  I  felt  certain  that  it  would  be  so  directly  we  found 
the  stone  was  cracked.  The  only  hope  was  that  the  first 
finders  of  the  treasure  afterwards  used  the  place  for  the  same 
purpose.  That  they  thought  it  possible  they  might  do  so  is 
clear  by  the  care  with  which  they  fitted  the  stones  together." 

None  of  the  others  spoke.  The  disappointment  was  a 
heavy  one.  Bertie  broke  the  silence  by  saying:  "Well, 
better  luck  next  time.  They  may  have  found  out  this  place, 
but  there  may  be  others  which  they  did  not  find." 

"  Quite  so,  Bertie.  Now  we  have  got  up  one  stone,  it  will 
be  comparatively  easy  work  getting  up  the  others.  We  will 
take  up  every  stone  to  the  end,  and  then  work  back  till  we 
get  to  a  place  where  there  is  not  more  than  a  couple  of  feet 
between  the  bottom  of  the  stone  and  the  top  of  the  rock." 

At  this  moment  Jose  ran  into  the  room  with  the  rope. 
Harry  took  it,  and  dropped  one  end  until  it  nearly  touched 
the  floor  below.  "  Hold  on,"  he  said,  "  and  I  will  slip  down 
first."  Half  a  minute  later  he  stood  at  the  bottom  of  the 
chamber,  beside  the  torch,  which  was  still  burning. 

"  It  is  only  about  three  feet  across  at  the  bottom,"  he  said ; 
"  the  wall  by  the  passage  goes  straight  up,  on  the  other  side 
it  is  the  bare  rock,  so  it  is  almost  wedge-shaped.  It  is  twenty 
feet  long,  and  five  feet  high  up  to  its  roof,  that  makes  it 
nearly  seven  to  the  upper  part  of  the  mouth."  The  vault 
was  absolutely  empty.  He  moved  about  for  a  minute  and 
then  said :  "  Gold  has  been  stored  here.  There  are  particles 
of  gold  at  the  bottom,  and  there  is  gold-dust  in  the  cracks 
of  the  broken  face  of  the  rock.  Now  I  will  come  up  again. 
Hold  the  rope  tight;  I  will  climb  about  a  yard,  and  then  I 
can  get  my  fingers  on  the  ledge." 

He  was  soon  up.  "  Now,  do  any  of  you  want  to  go 
down  ? "  Dias  and  Jose  shook  their  heads ;  and  Bertie 
grumbled,  "I  don't  want  to  look  at  the  beastly  hole;  it  has 
been  trouble  enough  to  get  at  it." 


296  THE  TREASUKE  OF  THE  IXC  AS 

"  Well,  I  think  we  will  not  do  any  more  to-day,  Bias.  It 
has  rather  taken  the  heart  out  of  one.  Still,  we  could  not 
expect  to  hit  upon  the  treasure  for  the  first  time.  We  will 
go  up  and  talk  it  over,  and  when  we  have  smoked  a  pipe  or 
two  we  shall  be  more  inclined  to  take  a  cheerful  view  of  the 
matter.  We  won't  talk  about  it  till  we  have  got  to  the  end 
of  our  second  pipe." 

The  tobacco  did  its  usual  work,  and  it  was  with  quite  a 
cheerful  voice  that  Bertie  broke  the  silence :  "  The  Incas 
must  have  been  pretty  sharp  fellows  to  find  that  hole, 
Harry?" 

"  Well,  very  likely  they  heard  that  the  Chimoos  had  treas- 
ure there.  Indeed  they  must  have  known,  because,  you  see, 
not  one  of  the  other  stones  is  broken,  so  they  evidently  knew 
where  that  chamber  was  situated." 

"Yes,  I  suppose  that  was  it.  Well,  we  are  in  fine  work- 
ing order  now,  and  we  sha'n't  be  very  long  getting  the  other 
stones  up." 

"  Not  very  long  this  side,  anyhow,  Bertie.  We  shall  want 
some  short  blocks  of  wood  to  put  under  the  stones  as  we 
raise  them.  I  expect  they  are  all  five  inches  thick,  and  they 
must  be  a  very  big  weight.  Evidently  it  is  going  to  be  a 
longish  job.  As  we  have  been  a  fortnight  without  fresh  meat, 
Bias  had  better  go  off  and  buy  half  a  dozen  sheep.  We  won't 
have  dead  meat  this  time.  He  can  bring  them  slung  over  the 
mules,  and  we  can  kill  them  as  we  want  them." 

"  We  have  not  had  fresh  meat,  but  we  have  not  done  badly, 
Harry;  we  have  generally  had  a  good  many  eggs  and  some 
pigeons,  and  Jose  has  brought  us  in  fish  from  that  pool.  But 
they  have  dwindled  down  lately.  He  only  brought  in  a 
couple  of  fish  yesterday  evening." 

"  Well,  the  pigeons  are  getting  scarcer  too,  Bertie.  We 
have  killed  a  good  many,  but  the  rest  are  getting  very  shy, 
and  I  think  most  of  them  must  have  gone  off  and  settled  in 
new  places  on  the  face  of  the  rocks  above  the  ravine.  While 
Dias  is  away,  we  will  try  and  lay  in  a  stock  of  sea-fish.  We 


DISAPPOINTMENT  297 

can  swim  out  and  sit  on  the  rocks  during  the  day,  and  lay  our 
lines  at  night.  We  have  worked  very  hard  for  a  fortnight, 
and  we  deserve  a  holiday." 

Dias,  when  he  was  spoken  to,  said  he  would  start  at  once 
with  four  mules  for  Huacha.  "  It  is  not  above  fifteen  miles," 
he  said,  "  and  I  can  get  there  this  evening.  I  should  think 
that  I  could  buy  the  sheep  there;  if  not,  I  must  go  on  to 
Huaura.  Each  mule  will  bring  two  sheep.  Of  course  I 
could  drive  them,  but  that  would  seem  more  singular." 

"  You  had  certainly  better  take  the  mules,  Bias.  Tie  the 
sheep  carefully  on  them,  so  that  they  will  not  be  hurt." 

"  I  will  take  eight  of  the  leather  bags,  senor.  The  sheep 
are  not  large,  and  I  will  sling  one  on  each  side  of  the  mules." 

"  Yes,  it  would  be  as  well,  while  you  are  about  it,  to  bring 
eight.  You  may  as  well  get  some  more  coffee.  We  drink 
a  lot  of  that,  and  like  it  strong.  If  your  wife  thinks  we 
shall  want  more  sugar,  or  anything  else,  by  all  means  get 
some." 

As  soon  as  Dias  started,  the  lines  were  got  ready.  They 
cut  a  couple  of  saplings  to  serve  as  rods,  and  Jose,  digging 
among  the  rocks,  found  plenty  of  worms,  beetles,  and  grubs 
for  bait.  In  addition,  they  took  a  cake  or  two  of  maize, 
to  break  up  and  throw  in  to  attract  the  fish. 

"  We  had  better  swim  out  in  our  flannel  shirts  and 
trousers,"  Harry  said.  "  They  will  soon  dry,  and  they  will 
keep  off  the  sun.  If  we  were  to  sit  there  without  them,  we 
should  get  blistered  from  head  to  foot." 

"  Shall  we  fish  outside  the  rocks,  or  inside,  Harry  ?  " 

"We  will  try  both;  but  I  think  we  are  likelier  to  catch 
most  inside.  I  should  think  a  back-water  like  that  would 
attract  them." 

They  met  with  equal  success  on  both  sides  of  the  rocks, 
and  by  evening  had  caught  over  forty  fish,  at  least  half  of 
which  weighed  over  four  pounds.  Then  they  set  the  long 
lines,  each  carrying  forty  hooks,  and  returned  to  the  castle 
with  as  many  fish  as  they  could  possibly  carry.  Maria  was 


298          THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  INCAS 

delighted  with  the  addition  to  her  larder,  and  she  and  Jose 
set  to  work  at  once  to  clean  and  split  them.  In  the  morning 
they  were  hung  in  strings  from  the  broad  window.  Maria 
said  they  would  get  the  benefit  of  the  heat  from  the  walls, 
and  any  air  there  might  be  would  be  able  to  pass  round  them. 

By  means  of  the  night-lines  they  caught  almost  as  many 
fish  as  they  had  done  with  their  rods,  and  that  day  they  had 
the  satisfaction  of  bringing  in  more  than  they  could  carry 
in  one  journey. 

"  We  have  got  plenty  now  to  keep  us  going  for  another 
three  weeks,"  Harry  said,  "  and  we  can  always  replenish  our 
stock  when  we  choose." 

Dias  returned  at  sunset  carrying  one  sheep  over  his 
shoulders. 

"I  have  left  the  others  out  there,  sefior;  I  don't  think 
there  is  any  fear  of  their  straying.  There  is  no  fresh  grass 
anywhere  except  near  the  stream,  and  moreover,  being 
strange  to  the  valley,  they  will  naturally  keep  near  the 
mules." 

Another  month  passed  in  continuous  labour.  The  stones 
had  all  been  taken  up  in  the  basement  they  had  first  visited, 
but  no  other  chamber  had  been  found.  The  parallel  cham- 
ber had  given  them  much  trouble  at  starting,  as  no  stone  had 
been  found  showing  any  cracks  upon  it,  and  they  had  had  to 
blast  one  stone  to  pieces  before  they  could  begin  to  cut  up 
the  others.  No  chamber  whatever  had  been  discovered  until 
they  were  within  six  feet  of  the  farther  end.  Then  one  was 
found,  but  it  showed  no  signs  whatever  of  having  ever  been 
used. 

"So  far  so  bad,"  Harry  said  when  the  supper  had  been 
eaten  almost  in  silence ;  "  but  that  is  no  reason  why  we 
should  be  disheartened.  If  the  Incas  buried  a  treasure  they 
may  have  thought  it  prudent  to  choose  some  other  spot  than 
that  used  by  the  old  people." 

"But  where  could  it  be,  Harry?  You  agreed  that  there 
was  not  sufficient  depth  between  the  floors  for  any  place  of 
concealment." 


DISAPPOINTMENT  29& 

"  That  is  so,  Bertie,  of  course.  I  have  been  thinking  of 
it  a  lot  during  the  past  few  days,  when  the  chances  of  our 
finding  a  treasure  under  the  basement  were  nearly  extin- 
guished. There  are  still  the  side  walls." 

"  The  side  walls ! "  Bertie  repeated.  "  Surely  they  are 
built  against  the  rock  ?  " 

"  Yes,  but  we  don't  know  how  straight  the  wall  of  rock  is. 
You  see,  they  did  not  build  against  it  at  all  in  the  basement, 
but  above  that  the  side  walls  begin.  The  rock  must  have 
been  irregular,  and  as  the  walls  were  built  the  space  behind 
may  have  been  filled  in  or  may  not.  When  they  came  to 
build  they  may  have  found  that  there  was  a  cavern  or  caverns 
in  the  rock — nothing  is  more  likely — and  they  may  have  left 
some  sort  of  entrance  to  these  caverns,  either  as  a  place  of 
refuge  to  the  garrison  if  the  place  were  taken,  or  as  a  hiding- 
place.  They  might  have  thought  it  more  secure  for  this 
purpose  than  the  under-ground  chamber,  which  was  their 
general  hiding-place.  At  any  rate  it  is  possible,  and  to- 
morrow I  vote  that  we  have  a  thorough  inspection  of  the  walls 
of  the  storeroom  below  this.  That  would  be  the  most  likely 
place,  for  near  the  sea-level  the  chances  of  finding  caverns 
would  be  much  greater  than  higher  up." 

Bertie's  face  brightened  as  Harry  proceeded. 

"It  certainly  seems  possible,  Harry.  Of  course  the  other 
place  seemed  so  much  more  likely  to  us  that  we  have  never 
given  the  side  walls  a  thought.  We  may  find  something  there 
after  all.  I  do  hope  we  may,  old  boy.  I  cannot  believe  that 
after  things  have  gone  altogether  so  well  with  us,  and  we 
have  been  twice  so  near  finding  treasure,  that  we  should  fail 
after  all.  Which  side  shall  we  begin  on  ?  " 

"We  will  have  a  look  at  them  before  we  decide,  Bertie. 
We  have  not  really  examined  them  since  the  first  day;  I 
really  forget  what  stores  we  found  in  the  two  side-rooms." 

An  examination  in  the  morning  showed  that  the  passage 
near  the  entrance  to  the  rock  on  the  left-hand  side  had  been 
used  for  fuel,  that  on  the  other  side  was  filled  at  the  upper 


300          THE  TBEASURE  OF  THE  INCAS 

end  with  skins  for  some  distance,  and  spears  and  sheaves  of 
arrows  were  piled  against  the  outer  wall  along  the  rest  of 
the  distance. 

"  Which  do  you  think  is  the  most  likely  hiding-place  ?  " 

"I  should  say  the  right-hand  passage.  The  other  with 
the  fire-wood  in  it  might  be  visited  every  day,  but  the  spears 
and  arrows  would  only  be  wanted  in  case  of  any  attacks  upon 
the  castle,  or  to  arm  a  large  force  going  out  to  give  battle 
there.  They  would  naturally  put  anything  they  wanted  to 
hide  in  the  passage  less  likely  to  be  visited." 

"  That  does  seem  probable,"  Bertie  agreed ;  "  therefore, 
hurrah  for  the  right-hand  side !  " 

"  I  still  think,  senor,"  Dias  said,  "  that  there  must  be 
treasure  concealed  somewhere.  I  should  not  think  a  guard 
would  have  been  placed  here,  and  remained  here  so  many 
years  still  keeping  watch,  as  we  find  they  did  at  that  big 
loophole  on  the  top  floor,  unless  there  was  something  to 
watch." 

"  Quite  so,  Dias.  I  have  thought  that  over  in  every  way, 
and  I  can  see  no  possible  motive  for  their  being  here  except 
to  prevent  the  place  from  being  examined.  That  was  need- 
less if  there  was  nothing  to  guard,  and  nothing  to  take  away, 
except  those  silver  brackets,  which  in  those  days  would 
scarcely  have  been  worth  the  trouble  of  getting  out  and  car- 
rying away.  There  must  be  treasure  somewhere.  We  know 
now  that  it  is  not  in  the  basement,  and  we  will  try  these  side 
walls,  even  if  we  have  to  blow  half  of  them  in;  there  is  no 
doubt  that  the  stones  are  at  least  as  thick  as  those  at  the 
end,  but  they  will  not  be  difficult  to  manage.  I  noticed  in 
the  upper  story  that  they  had  not  taken  the  trouble  to  fit 
them  nearly  so  accurately  as  they  did  those  of  the  outer  walls. 
I  don't  say  that  they  didn't  fit  well,  but  the  stones  were  of 
irregular  sizes,  and  I  have  no  doubt  that  in  many  places  we 
could  prise  them  out  with  a  crow-bar.  Once  an  opening 
is  made,  there  will  be  no  difficulty  in  getting  a  lot  of  them 
out,  as  the  old  people  did  not  use  cement  or  mortar.  Well, 


DISAPPOINTMENT  301 

to-morrow  morning  we  will  move  all  the  spears  and  arrows 
across  to  the  other  side  of  that  passage  and  have  a  good  look 
at  the  stones,  but  we  will  go  up  first  and  look  at  the  side 
walls  of  all  the  other  rooms  and  see  if  they  are  of  the  same 
build.  There  may  be  some  difference  which  we  have  not 
noticed.  You  see  all  the  side  walls  of  this  room  are  built 
like  those  in  front.  I  didn't  notice  whether  it  was  the  same 
in  the  other  rooms." 

"  I  will  look  at  once,"  Dias  said,  lighting  a  torch  at  the 
fire. 

"  No,  sefior,"  he  said,  when  in  ten  minutes  he  returned ; 
"  none  of  the  walls  on  this  floor  are  built  of  stone  like  this. 
This  was  the  grand  chamber,  the  stones  are  all  nearly  one 
size,  and  so  well  fitted  that  you  can  hardly  see  where  they 
join  each  other.  In  the  other  rooms  they  are  not  so,  but 
the  stones  are,  as  you  noticed  above,  irregular  in  size,  and 
although  they  fit  closely,  there  is  no  attempt  to  conceal  the 
cracks." 

"  Thank  you,  Dias !  Well,  we  won't  look  any  more  to- 
night; we  shall  see  in  the  morning  if  the  room  below  us  is 
built  in  the  same  way.  I  have  no  doubt  it  is.  At  any  rate 
we  have  done  enough  for  to-day.  There  is  some  whisky  left 
in  that  bottle,  Bertie,  and  we  may  as  well  make  ourselves  a 
glass  of  grog.  Maria,  you  had  better  get  down  that  jar  of 
pulque.  We  will  drink  to  better  luck  next  time." 

The  woman  smiled  faintly.  She  did  often  do  so  now,  her 
spirits  had  gradually  gone  down  as  the  hopes  of  success 
faded. 

"Now,  Maria,"  Harry  said,  "you  had  better  take  a  glass 
of  pulque  for  yourself.  I  know  you  don't  often  touch  it, 
but  you  have  been  working  so  of  late  that  I  think  you  want 
it  more  than  any  of  us." 

"  I  cannot  help  feeling  low-spirited,  senor,"  she  said.  "  I 
have  so  hoped  that  you  would  find  the  treasure  you  wanted, 
and  marry  this  lady  you  love,  and  it  would  be  such  joy  for 
us  to  have  in  some  small  way  repaid  the  service  you  rendered 


302         THE  TEEASUEE  OF  THE  INCAS 

us,  that  I  felt  quite  broken  down.  I  know  I  ought  not  to 
have  been,  when  you  and  your  brother  bear  the  disappoint- 
ment so  bravely." 

" '  It  is  of  no  use  crying  over  spilt  milk,'  which  is  an  Eng- 
lish saying,  Maria.  Besides,  it  is  possible  that  the  milk  may 
not  be  spilt  yet,  and  until  lately  your  good  spirits  have  helped 
us  greatly  to  keep  ours  up.  If  I  were  once  convinced  that 
we  had  failed,  I  have  no  doubt  I  should  feel  hard  hit;  but 
I  am  a  long  way  from  giving  up  hope  yet.  There  is  treasure 
here,  and  if  I  have  to  blow  up  the  whole  of  the  old  place  I 
will  find  it.  I  have  got  six  months  yet,  and  in  six  months 
one  can  do  wonders.  Anyhow,  these  brackets  will  pay  us 
very  well  for  our  work.  I  certainly  should  not  have  earned 
half  the  sum  in  any  other  way  in  the  same  time.  And  even 
if  I  fail  in  my  great  object,  I  shall  have  the  satisfaction  of 
knowing  that  I  have  done  all  in  my  power  to  gain  it.  She 
will  know  that  I  have  done  my  best.  I  have  always  told  her, 
when  I  have  written,  how  much  I  owe  to  you  and  Dias,  how 
faithfully  you  have  served  me,  and  how  you  have  always 
been  so  bright  and  pleasant.  I  have  no  doubt  it  has  cheered 
her  up  as  well  as  me." 

Maria  was  wiping  her  eyes  now.  "  You  are  too  good, 
senor;  it  is  so  little  I  can  do,  or  Dias  either,  to  show  our 
gratitude." 

"Nonsense!  You  show  it  in  every  way,  even  in  the 
matter-of-fact  way  of  always  giving  us  excellent  food,  which 
is  by  no  means  unimportant.  Now  we  will  all  turn  in,  and 
make  a  fresh  start  to-morrow  morning." 

They  were  up  at  daybreak,  and  after  taking  their  usual 
cup  of  coffee  lit  the  torches  and  descended  the  stairs  to  the 
floor  below. 

As  soon  as  they  reached  the  right-hand  wall,  Harry  ex- 
claimed: "Why,  this  is  built  in  the  same  way  as  the  one 
we  have  left !  The  stones  are  squared  and  fitted  together  as 
closely  as  those  in  the  drawing-room.  Then  why  should  that 
be,  except  in  that  one  room?  The  side  walls  all  the  way  up 


DISAPPOINTMENT  303 

are  roughly  built.  Why  should  they  have  taken  the  trouble 
on  this  floor  to  build  these,  which  are  only  meant  as  store- 
rooms, when  even  in  the  rooms  above,  which  were  meant  for 
the  habitation  of  the  chief  and  his  family,  the  rough  work 
was  deemed  sufficiently  good?  There  must  have  been  some 
motive  for  this,  Dias." 

"  There  must  have  been,  senor;  it  is  certainly  strange." 

"  First  of  all,  let  us  clear  the  wall  and  take  a  general  view 
of  it.  Guessing  won't  help  us;  but  I  have  the  strongest 
hopes  that  behind  one  of  these  stones  lies  a  cavern.  By  the 
way,  Dias,  take  a  torch  and  go  into  the  next  chamber  and 
see  if  the  stones  are  solid  there." 

"They  are  just  the  same  as  those  here,"  Dias  said  when 
he  returned. 

"  I  would  rather  that  it  had  been  the  other  way,"  Harry 
said,  "  for  then  I  should  have  been  more  sure  that  there  was 
some  special  reason  for  their  building  them  in  this  way 
here." 

It  took  them  all  half  an  hour's  work  to  move  the  spears 
and  arrows  to  the  other  side. 

"Do  you  think,  Harry,  if  we  were  to  tap  the  stones  we 
should  be  able  to  find  whether  there  is  a  hollow  behind  any 
of  them?" 

Harry  shook  his  head. 

"  Not  in  the  least.  I  have  no  doubt  these  stones  are  two- 
or  three  feet  thick,  and  there  could  be  no  difference  in  the 
sound  they  would  make  if  struck,  whether  they  were  filled 
in  solid  behind  or  had  no  backing.  To  begin  with,  we  will 
make  a  careful  examination  of  the  walls.  Possibly  we  shall 
see  some  signs  of  a  stone  having  been  moved.  It  would  be 
very  much  more  difficult  to  take  one  of  the  great  blocks  out 
and  put  it  in  again  than  it  would  be  to  get  up  one  of  the 
paving-stones." 

When  they  had  gone  about  half-way  along,  examining  each 
stone  with  the  greatest  care,  Bertie,  who  was  ahead  of  the 
rest,  and  passing  the  candle  he  held  along  the  edge  of  every 


304          THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  INCAS 

joint,  said,  "-Look  here!  this  stone  projects  nearly  half  an 
inch  beyond  the  rest." 

The  others  gathered  round  him.  The  stone  was  of  unusual 
size,  being  fully  two  and  a  half  feet  wide  and  four  feet  long, 
the  bottom  joint  being  two  feet  above  the  floor. 

Bertie  moved  along  to  let  the  others  look  at  the  edge.  He 
was  keeping  his  finger  on  the  joint,  and  they  had  scarcely 
come  up  when  he  said,  "  The  other  end  of  the  stone  is  sunk 
in  about  as  much  as  this  end  projects." 

"  Something  certainly  occurred  to  shift  this  stone  a  little," 
Harry  said,  examining  it  carefully.  "  It  is  curious.  If 
others  had  been  displaced,  one  would  have  put  it  down  to  the 
shock  of  an  earthquake — a  common  enough  occurrence  here 
— but  both  above  and  below  it  the  stones  are  level  with  the 
others,  and  nowhere  about  the  house  have  we  seen  such 
another  displacement.  Look!  there  is  a  heap  of  rubbish 
along  the  foot  of  the  wall  here.  Stir  it  up,  Bias,  and  let  us 
see  what  it  is." 

"  It  is  sand  and  small  stones,  and  some  chips  that  look  like 
chips  of  rock." 

"  Yes,  these  bits  look,  as  you  say,  as  if  they  had  been 
chipped  off  a  rock,  not  like  water-worn  stones.  Though  how 
they  got  here,  where  everywhere  else  things  are  perfectly 
tidy,  I  cannot  say.  However,  we  can  think  that  over  after- 
wards. Now  for  the  stone!  Let  us  all  put  our  weight 
against  this  projecting  end.  I  don't  in  the  least  expect  that 
we  can  move  it,  but  at  any  rate  we  can  try." 

They  all  pushed  together. 

"  I  think  it  moved  a  little,"  Harry  said,  and  looked  at  the 
edge. 

"  Yes,  it  is  not  above  half  as  far  out  now  as  it  was." 

"  That  is  curious,  for  if  it  is  as  thick  as  we  took  it  to  be, 
it  would  weigh  at  least  a  couple  of  tons.  We  won't  try  to 
push  it  in  any  farther.  I  am  sorry  we  pushed  it  at  all.  Now, 
give  me  that  heavy  sledge,  Jose,  possibly  there  may  be  a 
hollow  sound  to  it.  I  will  hit  at  the  other  end,  for  I  don't 
want  this  to  go  in  any  farther." 


DISAPPOINTMENT  305 

He  went  to  the  stone  beyond  it  first  and  struck  two  or 
three  blows  with  all  his  strength.  Then  he  did  the  same  with 
the  stone  that  they  were  examining. 

"  I  don't  think  it  gives  such  a  dead  sound,"  he  said. 

The  others  were  all  of  the  same  opinion. 

"  Good !  This  is  another  piece  of  luck,"  he  said.  "  We 
have  certainly  hit  on  something  out  of  the  way." 

"  Your  hammering  has  brought  this  end  out  again,  Harry," 
Bertie  said. 

"  So  it  has,  and  it  has  pushed  this  end  in  a  little.  Let  us 
try  again."  But  although  all  took  turns  with  the  sledges, 
they  could  make  no  further  impression  on  the  stone. 

"  Well,  we  will  try  the  drills,"  Harry  said.  "  In  the  first 
place,  we  will  find  out  how  thick  it  is." 

They  at  once  set  to  work  with  the  drill.  Progress  was 
slower  than  it  had  been  before,  because,  instead  of  striking 
down  on  the  head  of  the  drill,  they  had  now  to  swing  the 
hammer  sideways  and  lost  the  advantage  of  its  weight;  and 
they  were  obliged  to  work  very  carefully,  as  a  miss  would 
have  seriously  damaged  the  one  holding  the  drill.  It  took 
them  four  hours'  steady  work  to  get  the  hole  in  three  inches. 
Ten  minutes  later,  to  their  astonishment,  the  drill  suddenly 
disappeared.  Dias,  who  was  striking,  nearly  fell,  for  instead 
of  the  resistance  he  had  expected,  the  drill  shot  forward ;  the 
hammer  hit  Jose,  who  had  this  time  been  holding  the  drill, 
a  heavy  blow  on  the  arm,  causing  him  to  utter  a  shout  of 
pain. 

Harry,  who  was  sitting  down  having  breakfast,  having  just 
handed  his  hammer  to  Bertie,  jumped  to  his  feet. 

"How  did  you  manage  that,  Dias?  I  suppose  it  slipped 
off  the  head.  You  must  have  hit  Jose  a  very  heavy  blow." 

"  I  have  hit  him  a  heavy  blow,  senor,  and  nearly  tumbled 
down  myself;  but  I  struck  the  drill  fairly  enough,  and  it  has 
gone." 

"Gone  where,  Dias?" 

"  I  think  it  must  have  gone  right  through  the  hole,  senor." 


306          THE  TEEASUEE  OF  THE  INCAS 

"  Then  there  is  an  empty  space  behind !  "  Harry  shouted 
joyfully.  "  However,"  he  went  on  in  changed  tones,  "  we 
must  see  to  Jose  first.  That  blow  may  have  fractured  his 
arm.  Let  me  look,  Jose.  No,  I  don't  think  anything  is 
broken,  but  there  is  a  nasty  cut  on  the  wrist.  It  is  fortunate 
that  you  were  not  striking  straight  down,  Dias,  for  I  am 
sure  we  have  not  put  anything  approaching  the  strength  into 
our  blows,  now  we  are  hitting  sideways,  that  we  exerted  be- 
fore. You  had  better  go  up  to  Maria,  Jose,  and  get  her  to 
bathe  your  wrist  with  cold  water,  and  put  on  a  bandage." 

"  Now,  senor,  what  shall  we  do  next  ?  " 

"  Well,  now  that  we  know  that  its  weight  cannot  be  any- 
thing very  great,  and  that  certainly  to  some  extent  it  can  be 
moved,  we  will  try  hammering  again  at  that  end.  Do  you 
stand  three  or  four  feet  beyond  it,  so  as  to  be  able  to  bring 
your  sledge  down  with  all  your  strength  just  on  the  lower 
corner.  I  will  face  you  and  strike  six  or  eight  inches  above 
where  you  hit.  Of  course  we  must  both  bring  our  hammers 
down  at  the  same  instant.  We  shall  be  able  to  do  that  after 
two  or  three  trials.  Stand  at  the  other  end  of  the  stone, 
Bertie,  and  tell  us  if  it  moves  at  all." 

After  one  or  two  attempts  the  two  men  got  to  swing  their 
hammers  so  as  to  strike  precisely  at  the  same  moment,  and 
when  half  a  dozen  blows  had  fallen,  Bertie  said :  "  It  comes 
out  a  little  at  each  blow.  It  is  not  much,  but  it  comes." 

Three  or  four  minutes  later  he  reported,  "It  is  an  inch 
and  a  half  out  now,  and  there  is  room  to  get  the  end  of  a 
crowbar  in  here." 

"  That  is  curious,"  Harry  said  as  he  lowered  his  sledge- 
hammer, and,  taking  up  the  candle,  examined  the  end  where 
he  had  been  striking. 

"  This  is  sunk  about  the  same  distance,  Bertie.  The  stone 
must  work  somehow  on  a  pivot." 

They  now  put  a  crowbar  into  the  end  Bertie  had  been 
watching,  and  all  three  threw  their  weight  on  the  lever. 
Slowly  the  stone  yielded  to  the  pressure,  and  moved  farther 


DISAPPOINTMENT  307 

and  farther  out.  It  was  pushed  open  until  the  crowbar  could 
act  no  longer  as  a  lever,  but  they  could  now  get  a  hold  of 
the  inside  edge.  It  was  only  very  slowly  and  with  repeated 
efforts  that  they  could  turn  the  stone  round,  and  at  last  it 
stood  fairly  at  right  angles  to  the  wall,  dividing  the  opening 
into  equal  parts  about  two  feet  four  each. 

"  There  is  a  pivot  under  it ;  that  is  quite  evident.  It  may 
be  a  copper  ball  in  the  stone  below,  or  it  may  be  that  a  knob 
of  the  upper  stone  projects  into  a  hole  in  the  lower.  How- 
ever, it  does  not  matter  how  it  works.  Here  is  an  opening 
into  something.  Dias,  will  you  go  upstairs  and  tell  your 
wife  and  Jose  to  come  down?  They  had  better  bring  half 
a  dozen  more  torches.  Our  stock  here  is  getting  low,  and 
we  shall  want  as  much  light  as  possible.  It  is  only  fair  that 
we  should  all  share  in  the  discovery." 

Dias  went  off. 

"Now,  Bertie,  we  must  not  let  our  hopes  grow  too  high. 
I  think  it  is  more  likely  than  not  that  we  shall  find  nothing 
here." 

"Why  do  you  think  so,  Harry?  I  made  sure  we  had  as 
good  as  got  the  treasure." 

"I  think,  if  there  had  been  treasure,"  Harry  went  on, 
"that  this  stone  would  have  been  closed  with  the  greatest 
care.  They  would  hardly  have  left  it  so  carelessly  closed 
that  anyone  who  examined  the  wall  would  have  noticed  it, 
just  as  we  did.  We  found  the  other  places  most  carefully 
closed,  though  there  was  nothing  in  them." 

"  Perhaps  there  was  something  that  prevented  them  from 
shutting — a  little  stone  or  something." 

"But  we  know  that  that  wasn't  so,  Bertie,  because  the 
stone  yielded  to  our  weight;  and  if  it  did  so  now,  it  could 
have  been  shut  with  the  greatest  ease  originally,  when  no 
doubt  the  pivot  was  kept  oiled,  and  the  whole  worked  per- 
fectly smoothly.  It  is  almost  certain  that  they  were  able  in 
some  way  to  fasten  it  securely  when  it  was  shut.  What  is 
that  piece  of  square  stone  lying  there  ? " 


308          THE  TEEASUEE  OF  THE  INCAS 

"  It  fell  down  from  above  just  as  the  slab  opened." 

Harry  took  it  up.  It  was  about  six  inches  long  by  two 
inches  square. 

"  It  is  a  very  hard  stone,"  he  said — "  granite,  I  should  say. 
I  expect  you  will  find  that  it  fits  into  a  hole  in  the  stone 
above." 

"  Yes,  there  is  a  hole  here,"  Bertie  said,  feeling  it ;  "  the 
stone  goes  right  in." 

"  Well,  I  think,  Bertie,  you  will  find  a  hole  in  that  end  of 
the  stone  we  moved  that  it  will  fit." 

Bertie  crept  in,  and  felt  along  the  top  of  the  stone. 

"  Yes,  there  is  a  hole  here  about  the  same  size  as  the  stone, 
but  it  is  not  more  than  three  inches  deep." 

"  Then,  that  stone  was  the  bolt,  Bertie.  You  see  it  was 
pushed  up,  and  the  door  then  closed;  and  when  the  stone 
was  exactly  in  its  place,  it  would  drop  into  the  hole  and  keep 
it  from  moving,  and  nothing  short  of  breaking  up  the  bolt 
would  give  an  entrance.  It  is  lucky  that  we  did  not  push 
it  quite  to;  another  quarter  of  an  inch  and  that  bolt  would 
have  fallen,  and  we  could  not  have  moved  it  unless  by  smash- 
ing the  whole  thing  into  bits.  That  was  why  they  did  not 
quite  close  the  stone ;  they  wanted  to  get  in  again." 

"  Here  comes  the  others !  " 

Maria  had  been  washing  some  clothes  in  the  stream,  and 
they  had  therefore  been  longer  in  coming  than  if  she  had 
been  in  the  room.  They  all  looked  greatly  excited. 

"  So  you  have  found  it,  senor !  "  Dias  exclaimed  in  delight. 

"  We  have  found  an  entrance  into  somewhere,  but  I  am 
afraid  it  will  be  as  empty  as  the  other  chambers." 

"  Why  do  you  think  so,  senor  ? "  Dias  asked  in  dismay. 

Harry  repeated  the  reasons  he  had  given  Bertie  for  his 
belief  that  the  stone  must  have  been  left  in  such  a  position 
as  to  be  easily  opened  when  required. 

"  Why  should  it  have  been  left  so  ?  " 

"Because  the  treasure  they  expected  had  never  arrived. 
It  is  possible  that  when  the  Incas  discovered  the  treasure  in 


DISAPPOINTMENT  309 

that  chamber  we  searched,  they  may  also  have  found  this 
entrance.  It  may  have  been  shown  to  them  by  one  of  the 
prisoners,  and  they  may  have  broken  the  stone  here  into 
pieces  as  they  broke  that  over  the  chamber  afterwards.  See- 
ing what  a  splendid  hiding-place  it  was,  they  may  have,  when 
the  Spaniards  first  arrived,  made  another  stone  to  fit,  with 
the  intention  of  using  it  for  a  hiding-place  themselves.  The 
fact  that  the  stone  was  left  so  that  it  could  be  at  once  opened 
is  conclusive  proof  to  my  mind  that  the  treasure  never  came^ 
That  heap  of  sand,  small  stones,  and  chips  of  rock  is  another 
proof  that  they  were  ready  to  receive  treasure,  and  it  was 
probably  swept  out  of  the  chamber  that  is  behind  here,  and 
would,  of  course,  have  been  removed  when  the  treasure  was 
put  in  and  the  door  closed;  but  as  the  treasure  never  did 
come,  it  was  left  where  it  lay.  However,  we  will  now  go  and 
see.  I  have  only  kept  you  waiting  because  I  did  not  want 
you  to  be  disappointed." 

One  by  one  they  crept  through  the  opening.  For  four  feet 
in,  the  passage  was  the  same  width  as  the  stone,  but  two 
feet  deeper;  then  it  at  once  opened  into  a  large  cavern. 

"  This  wall  was  four  feet  thick,  you  see,  Bias.  Apparently 
squared  stone  was  only  used  for  the  facing,  as  the  stones  are 
of  irregular  shape  on  the  back.  This  would  be  a  natural  cav- 
ern, and  a  splendid  hiding-place  it  makes.  No  doubt  its 
existence  was  one  of  the  reasons  for  building  this  castle." 

The  cavern  was  some  twelve  feet  wide  and  thirty  feet  high 
at  the  mouth ;  the  floor  sloped  up  sharply,  and  the  sides  con- 
tracted, and  met  forty  feet  from  the  mouth.  The  floor  had 
been  cut  into  steps  two  feet  wide,  running  across  the  cave 
and  extending  to  the  back.  These  steps  were  faced  with  a 
perfectly  flat  slab  of  stone.  The  cave  was  empty. 

The  natives  uttered  loud  exclamations  of  disappointment 
and  regret. 

Harry  had  so  thoroughly  made  up  his  mind  that  nothing 
would  be  found  there  that  he  surveyed  the  place  calmly  and 
in  silence.  Bertie  imitated  his  example  with  some  difficulty, 
for  he  too  was  bitterly  disappointed. 


310  THE  TREASUKE   OF  THE  INCAS 

"  You  see,  Bias,"  Harry  went  on  quietly,  "  this  place  was 
prepared  to  receive  treasure.  The  steps  have  all  been  swept 
perfectly  clean.  You  see,  the  gold  could  be  piled  up,  and 
no-  doubt  the  steps  were  cut  and  faced  with  stone  to  prevent 
any  gold-dust  that  might  fall  from  the  bags,  in  which,  no 
doubt,  it  would  be  brought,  and  small  nuggets,  from  falling 
into  the  cracks  and  crevices  of  the  rock.  I  should  say  that 
in  all  probability  they  expected  that  treasure  ship  that  was 
lost,  and  had  everything  in  readiness  for  hiding  the  cargo 
here  directly  it  came.  It  never  did  come.  The  door  was 
shut  as  far  as  it  could  be  without  the  bolt  falling  down  and 
fastening  it;  then  they  waited  for  the  ship;  and  if  it  did 
not  arrive,  other  treasure  might  be  brought  by  land.  Well, 
it  cannot  be  helped.  So  far  we  have  failed.  There  may  still 
be  treasure  hidden  somewhere.  We  cannot  say  that  we  have 
searched  the  place  thoroughly  yet." 

For  another  six  weeks  they  worked  hard.  The  wall  was 
broken  through  in  several  places,  but  no  signs  of  the  exist- 
ence of  any  other  cavern  or  hiding-place  was  discovered. 

"  I  should  give  it  up,"  Harry  said,  when  at  the  end  of  that 
time  they  were  sitting  gloomily  round  the  fire,  "  but  for  one 
thing :  I  can  see  no  possible  explanation  why  a  party  of  men 
should  have  been  left  here,  and  a  guard  kept,  for  perhaps  a 
hundred  years,  perhaps  more,  and  the  stories  about  demons 
been  circulated,  and  people  who  ventured  to  approach  been 
murdered,  unless  there  had  been  some  good  reason  for  it. 
That  reason  could  only  have  been,  as  far  as  I  can  see,  that 
there  was  a  treasure  hidden  here.  I  have  turned  it  over  and 
over  in  my  mind  a  thousand  times,  and  I  can  think  of  no 
other  reason.  Can  you,  Bertie,  or  you,  Dias  ?  " 

"No,"  Bertie  replied.  "I  have  often  thought  about  it; 
but,  as  you  say,  there  must  have  been  some  good  reason, 
for  no  people  in  their  senses  would  have  spent  their  lives 
in  this  old  place,  and  starved  here,  unless  they  had  some 
cause  for  it." 

Dias  made  no  reply  beyond  shaking  his  head. 


THE  TREASURE  311 

"  You  see,"  Harry  went  on,  "  they  kept  up  their  watch  to 
the  end.  There  were  those  two  skeletons  of  men  who  had 
died  at  their  post  at  that  curious  window  where  nothing 
could  be  seen.  I  hate  to  give  up  the  search,  and  yet  we  seem 
to  have  tried  every  point  where  there  was  a  possibility  of  a 
hiding-place  existing." 

CHAPTER  XIX 

THE  TREASURE 

ri^HE  next  morning  Harry  said: 

-JL  "I  will  go  upstairs  to  that  look-out  place  again.  I 
have  been  up  there  pretty  nearly  every  day,  and  stared  down. 
I  can't  get  it  out  of  my  mind  that  the  key  of  the  mystery 
lies  there,  and  that  that  hole  was  made  for  some  other  pur- 
pose than  merely  throwing  stones  out  on  to  any  of  those 
who  might  go  in  behind  the  rocks.  I  have  puzzled  and  wor- 
ried over  it." 

"  Shall  I  come  up  with  you,  Harry  ? " 

"  No,  I  would  rather  you  didn't.  I  will  go  up  by  myself 
and  spend  the  morning  there;  some  idea  may  occur  to  me. 
You  may  as  well  all  have  a  quiet  day  of  it." 

He  lit  his  pipe  and  went  upstairs.  Jose  went  off  to  the 
mules,  and  Bertie  descended  the  ladder,  and  strolled  round 
what  they  called  the  courtyard,  looking  for  eggs  among  the 
rocks  and  in  the  tufts  of  grass  growing  higher  up.  Diaa 
scattered  a  few  handfuls  of  maize  to  the  chickens  and  then 
assisted  Maria  to  catch  two  of  them;  after  which  he  de- 
scended the  ladder  and  sat  down  gloomily  upon  a  stone.  He 
had  become  more  and  more  depressed  in  spirits  as  the  search 
became  daily  more  hopeless ;  and  although  he  worked  as  hard 
as  anyone,  he  seldom  spoke,  while  Harry  and  his  brother 
often  joked,  and  showed  no  outward  signs  of  disappointment. 
An  hour  passed,  and  then  Harry  appeared  suddenly  at  the 
window. 


312          THE  TREASUEE  OF  THE  INCAS 

"  Bertie,  Dias,  come  up  at  once,  I  have  an  idea ! n 

They  ran  to  the  ladder  and  climbed  up.  The  excitement 
with  which  he  spoke  showed  that  the  idea  was  an  important 
one.  "Now,  Dias,"  he  broke  out  as  they  joined  him,  "we 
know,  don't  we,  that  a  part  of  the  Incas'  treasure  was  sent 
off  by -boat,  and  the  belief  of  the  Indians  was  that  it  was 
never  heard  of  again." 

"  That  is  so,  senor.  There  was  certainly  a  storm  the  day 
after  it  started,  and,  as  I  have  told  you,  it  was  never  heard 
of  again.  Had  it  been,  a  report  of  it  would  surely  have 
come  down." 

"  I  believe,  Dias,  that  the  boat  was  dashed  to  pieces  against 
that  line  of  rocks  outside  the  entrance  to  the  passage.  We 
have  reason  to  believe  that  the  people  here  were  expecting 
the  treasure  to  arrive,  and  had  the  entrance  to  the  cave  in 
readiness  to  receive  it.  Certainly  no  better  place  could  have 
been  chosen  for  concealment.  The  boat  may  have  been  com- 
ing here  when  the  storm  broke  and  drove  them  towards  the 
shore.  They  probably  attempted  to  gain  the  mouth  of  the 
cove,  but  missed  it,  and  were  dashed  to  pieces  against  the 
rocks.  The  Indians  on  guard  here  no  doubt  saw  it,  and 
would  be  sure  that  the  heavy  sacks  or  boxes  containing  the 
gold  would  sink  to  the  bottom.  They  would  lie  perfectly 
secure  there,  even  more  secure  than  if  they  had  been  removed 
and  placed  in  the  cave,  and  could  always  be  recovered  when 
the  Spaniards  left,  so  they  were  content  to  leave  them  there. 
Still,  they  obeyed  the  orders  they  had  received  to  keep  watch 
for  ever  over  the  treasure,  and  to  do  so  knocked  that  strange 
hole  through  the  wall  and  always  kept  two  men  on  guard 
there. 

"  So  it  must  have  gone  on.  They  and  those  who  succeeded 
them  never  wavered.  Doubtless  they  received  food  from 
their  friends  outside,  or  some  of  them  went  out,  as  you  have 
done,  to  fetch  it  in.  Then  came  a  time  when,  for  some 
reason  or  other — doubtless,  as  I  supposed  before,  when  the 
Spaniards  swept  pretty  nearly  all  the  natives  up  to  work  in. 


THE  TREASURE  313 

the  mines,  and  they  themselves  dared  not  issue  out  —  the 
attempt  to  get  food  was  made, '  when  too  late,  by  the  men 
whose  skeletons  we  found  on  the  steps  when  we  first  came 
here;  and  the  rest  were  all  too  feeble  to  repeat  the  experi- 
ment, and  died — the  two  sentinels  at  their  post,  the  rest  in 
the  room  where  we  found  them." 

"Hurrah!"  Bertie  shouted,  "I  have  no  doubt , you  have 
hit  it,  Harry.  I  believe,  after  all,  that  we  are  going  to  find 
it.  That  is  splendid !  I  shall  dance  at  your  wedding,  Harry, 
which  I  had  begun  to  think  I  never  should  do." 

"  Don't  be  a  young  ass,  Bertie.  It  is  only  an  idea,  and  we 
have  had  several  ideas  before,  but  nothing  has  come  of 
them." 

"  Something  is  going  to  come  of  this,  I  am  convinced ;  I 
would  bet  any  money  on  it.  Well,  shall  we  go  and  have  a 
trial  at  once  ?  " 

"  What  do  you  think,  Bias  ?  "  Harry  said,  paying  no  atten- 
tion to  Bertie's  last  remark. 

"  I  think  it  is  quite  possible,  senor.  Certainly,  if  the 
Indians  had  been  told  to  guard  the  treasure,  they  would  do 
so  always.  You  know  how  they  kept  the  secrets  entrusted 
to  them  whatever  tortures  they  were  put  to.  If  the  gold 
had  been,  as  you  say,  lost  amongst  the  rocks,  I  do  think  they 
would  have  still  watched  the  place.  I  thought  it  strange 
that  they  should  have  made  that  hole,  but  when  you  said 
that  they  might  have  made  it  to  throw  stones  down  it 
seemed  to  me  to  be  likely  enough;  but  the  other  suggestion 
is  more  probable.  Well,  senor,  I  am  ready  to  try  it,  but  I 
am  not  a  very  good  swimmer." 

"  My  brother  and  I  are  both  good  swimmers,  and  we  will 
do  that  part  of  the  work.  The  hardest  part  will  be  getting 
it  up,  and  you  will  be  able  to  give  us  your  help  at  that." 

"  Well,  let  us  be  off,"  Bertie  said ;  "  I  am  all  on  thorns  to 
begin.  We  shall  soon  find  it  out.  If  it  is  there,  it  is  almost 
certain  to  be  at  the  foot  of  the  rocks,  though,  of  course,  it 
is  possible  that  the  boat  sank  before  striking  them.  At  any 


314          THE  TREASUEE  OF  THE  INCAS 

rate,  I  feel  sure  she  went  down  somewhere  within  the  area 
that  can  be  seen  through  that  hole.  It  won't  take  many 
days'  diving  to  search  every  yard  of  the  bottom." 

They  hastily  descended  the  ladder,  and,  divesting  them- 
selves of  their  clothes,  swam  out  through  the  opening.  Dias 
climbed  up  on  the  rocks,  the  others  swam  round  by  the  ends 
of  the  barrier.  The  water  was  so  warm  that  they  would  be 
able  to  remain  in  it  for  any  time  without  inconvenience. 

"  We  need  not  begin  here,  Bertie ;  we  are  outside  the  line 
of  sight.  From  that  hole  I  could  not  see  the  end  of  these 
rocks.  We  will  start  at  the  middle,  and  work  in  opposite 
directions." 

On  arriving  off  the  centre  of  the  wall  both  dived.  The 
depth  was  about  twelve  feet,  and  as  the  water  was  perfectly 
clear,  Harry  could  see  four  or  five  feet  round  him.  He  was 
obliged  to  swim  carefully,  for  the  bottom  was  covered  with 
rocks,  for  the  most  part  rounded  by  the  action  of  the  sea. 
For  an  hour  he  continued  his  search,  by  which  time  he  had 
reached  nearly  the  end  of  the  line  of  rocks.  Then  he  landed 
on  a  ledge  of  rock  and  sat  down,  calling  to  Bertie  to  join 
him. 

"  We  will  rest  for  a  quarter  of  an  hour,"  he  said,  "  and 
then  begin  again.  This  time  we  will  keep  twenty  or  thirty 
feet  farther  out;  it  is  more  likely  to  be  there  than  close  in. 
If  the  boat  struck,  the  next  wave  would  sweep  over  her,  and 
she  would  probably  go  down  stern  first,  and  her  cargo  would 
fall  out  that  way." 

After  their  rest  they  started  again,  swam  out  a  few  strokes, 
and  then  dived.  Harry  had  gone  down  five  or  six  times, 
when,  on  his  coming  to  the  surface,  he  heard  a  shout,  and 
saw  Bertie  swimming  towards  him. 

"  I  have  found  them,  Harry !  There  are  a  number  of  in- 
gots, but  they  were  so  heavy  that  I  could  not  bring  one  of 
them  to  the  surface." 

As  Harry  reached  him  the  lad  turned  round  and  swam 
back.  "  There  they  are,  just  opposite  that  cleft  in  the  rock  I 
I  looked  directly  I  came  up  so  as  to  know  the  exact  spot." 


THE  TREASURE  315 

Harry  trod  water  for  half  a  minute,  then  took  a  long 
breath  and  dived.  j 

It  was  as  Bertie  had  said.  Scattered  among  the  rocks  were 
a  score  of  ingots.  They  had  lost  their  brilliancy,  but  shone 
with  a  dull  copperish  hue,  with  bright  gleams  here  and  there 
where  rocks  had  grated  against  them.  Putting  one  hand  on 
a  block  of  rock  he  lifted  one  of  them  with  the  other. 

"  About  twenty  pounds,"  he  said  to  himself.  "  Thank 
God,  Hilda  is  as  good  as  won !  "  Then  he  rose  to  the  sur- 
face. "  Shake  hands,  Bertie ;  there  is  enough  there  to  make 
us  all  rich  for  life.  Now  we  will  get  back  again.  We  have 
to  think  matters  over,  and  see  how  they  are  to  be  got  ashore. 
There  is  no  hurry;  they  have  lain  there  for  three  hundred 
years,  and  would  lie  there  as  much  longer  if  we  did  not  take 
them.  We  have  found  them,  Dias ! "  he  shouted ;  and  the 
latter  gave  a  yell  of  delight.  "  Swim  ashore,  and  we  will 
join  you  there." 

Not  another  word  was  spoken  until  they  had  dressed  and 
walked  out. 

"I  am  too  excited  even  to  think,"  Harry  broke  out.  "It 
is  time  for  dinner.  When  we  have  had  that  and  smoked  a 
pipe  I  shall  be  able  to  talk  calmly  over  it." 

Maria  was  wild  with  delight  at  the  news,  and  laughed  and 
cried  by  turns.  Even  Jose,  who  was  accustomed  to  take  all 
things  quietly,  was  almost  as  excited.  The  woman  was  only 
called  to  herself  when  Harry  said,  laughing,  "  Maria,  for  the 
first  time  since  we  started  from  Lima,  you  are  letting  the 
dinner  burn." 

"To  think  of  it!"  she  cried.  "It  is  your  fault,  senor; 
you  should  not  have  told  me  about  it  till  we  sat  down." 

"  You  won't  have  to  cook  much  longer,  Maria.  You  will 
be  able  now  to  have  a  servant,  and  a  house  as  big  as  you  like, 
and  a  beautiful  garden." 

"I  should  not  like  that,  senor;  what  should  I  do  all  day 
with  myself?" 

"  I  am  glad,  senor,  glad  for  your  sake,"  Dias  said  gravely. 


316  THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  INCAS 

"To  us  it  will  make  no  difference.  You  said  there  was 
enough  there  to  make  us  rich.  Assuredly  that  is  so ;  but  not 
one  peso  of  it  will  we  touch.  No  man  with  Indian  blood  in 
his  veins,  not  even  the  poorest  in  Peru,  would  have  aught 
to  do  with  an  ounce  of  the  Incas'  treasures.  When  they 
were  buried,  a  curse  was  laid  upon  any  who  betrayed  their 
hiding-place  or  who  ever  touched  the  gold.  It  has  brought 
a  curse  upon  Spain.  At  the  time  the  Spaniards  landed  here 
they  were  a  great  nation.  Now  their  glory  has  departed; 
they  no  longer  own  the  land  they  tyrannized  over  for  three 
hundred  years,  and  we  have  heard  that  their  power  in  Europe 
has  altogether  gone.  It  must  be  the  curse  of  the  gold,  or 
they  would  never  have  allowed  your  great  Englishman,  Coch- 
rane,  with  but  two  or  three  ships,  to  conquer  them  here. 
My  mind  is  easy  as  to  the  finding  of  the  treasure.  You  came 
here  in  spite  of  my  prayers  that  you  would  not  do  so.  It  is 
you  who  have  made  the  discovery,  not  me.  But  I  will  take 
no  share  in  the  gold.  From  the  day  I  took  it  I  should  be  a 
cursed  man;  my  flesh  would  melt  away,  I  should  suffer  tor- 
tures, and  should  die  a  miserable  death." 

"  Well,  Dias,  I  will  not  try  to  persuade  you.  I  know  that, 
Christian  though  you  be,  your  native  belief  still  clings  to 
you,  and  I  will  not  argue  against  it;  but  I  have  money  of 
my  own,  and  from  that  I  will  give  you  enough  to  make  you 
comfortable  for  life,  and  that  you  can  take  without  feeling 
that  you  have  incurred  any  curse  from  the  finding  of  this 
treasure." 

"  I  thank  you  heartily,"  Dias  said  gratefully ;  "  I  thank 
you  with  all  my  heart.  I  have  ever  been  a  wanderer,  and 
now  I  will  gladly  settle  down.  I  do  not  desire  wealth,  but 
enough  to  live  on  in  comfort  with  my  wife,  and  only  to 
travel  when  it  pleases  me." 

"  You  shall  have  enough  for  that  and  more,  Dias." 

After  some  more  meat  had  been  cooked  and  eaten,  and  he 
had  smoked  a  pipe,  Harry  said :  "  A  boat  would,  of  course, 
be  the  best  thing,  but  there  are  difficulties  connected  with 


THE  TREASURE  317 

it.  There  is  no  spot,  as  far  as  I  know,  where  we  could  land 
for  fifteen  miles  on  either  side,  and  there  would  only  be  small 
villages  where  everything  we  did  would  be  seen  and  talked 
about.  There  is  no  place  where  we  could  keep  a  boat  here, 
for  if  even  a  slight  breeze  sprang  up  the  swell  coming  in 
round  the  passage  between  the  rocks  and  the  cliff  would 
smash  her  up  in  no  time." 

"  That  is  so,  senor." 

Harry  was  silent  again  for  some  time,  and  then  said: 
"  The  only  plan  I  can  think  of  is  to  get  some  strong  leather 
bags.  Then  we  could  take  one  down  with  us  when  we  dive, 
with  a  strong  cord  tied  to  it,  put  a  couple  of  the  ingots  into 
it,  and  you  could  haul  it  up  on  to  the  rocks,  and  so  on  until 
we  have  finished  a  day's  work.  Then  we  could  carry  them 
to  this  side  of  the  rocks;  there  you  could  put  them,  three 
or  four  at  a  time,  into  the  bag,  and  drop  them  down  in  the 
water.  We  would  swim  up  the  tunnel  and  haul  them  in,  and 
then  bring  the  bag  back  again.  We  sha'n't  be  able  to  get 
anything  approaching  all  the  ingots,  for  a  great  many  of 
them  must  have  gone  in  between  the  crevices  of  the  rocks, 
and  unless  we  broke  it  up  with  powder,  which  would  be  next 
to  impossible  without  a  diving-dress  and  air-pumps  and  all 
sorts  of  things,  which  cannot  be  bought  in  this  country,  we 
could  not  get  at  them.  However,  we  have  only  just  begun 
to  look  for  them  yet;  we  may  come  across  a  pile.  Heavy 
as  the  sea  must  be  on  this  coast  in  a  gale,  I  hardly  think  it 
would  much  affect  a  pile  of  ingots;  their  weight  would  keep 
them  steady  even  were  big  rocks  rolled  about. 

"  I  think  the  best  thing,  Dias,  would  be  for  you  to  go  off 
with  two  or  three  mules.  We  shall  soon  be  running  short  of 
provisions,  and  you  had  better  get  enough  flour  and  dried 
meat  to  last  us  for  a  month.  I  don't  suppose  we  shall  be  as 
long  as  that,  but  it  is  as  well  to  have  a  good  store  so  as  not 
to  have  to  make  the  journey  again.  Then  you  had  better 
get  twenty  leather  bags,  such  as  those  in  which  they  bring 
the  ore  down  from  the  mountains.  We  have  plenty  of  stout 


318          THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  INCAS 

rope,  but  we  shall  want  some  thin  cord  for  tying  the  necks 
of  the  bags.  You  may  as  well  bring  another  keg  of  spirits, 
brandy  if  you  can  get  it,  a  bag  of  coffee,  and  some  sugar, 
and  anything  else  you  think  of.  Now  I  am  a  millionaire  we 
can  afford  to  be  comfortable.  By  the  way,  we  might  as  well 
this  afternoon  get  the  rest  of  those  silver  brackets  out. 
These  are  not  a  part  of  the  Incas'  treasure,  and  you  can  take 
them  as  your  share  without  fear  of  the  curse.  It  would  be 
best  for  you  to  smelt  them  down;  I  know  all  of  you  natives 
can  do  that." 

"  Do  you  think  that  they  are  not  part  of  the  Incas'  treas- 
ure, senor  ?  "  Dias  said  doubtfully. 

"  Certainly  not ;  they  were  undoubtedly  here  before  the 
Incas'  time.  But  even  had  they  been  put  there  by  Incas,  you 
could  not  call  them  hidden  treasure.  They  might  be  part 
of  the  Incas'  property,  but  certainly  not  part  of  the  treasures 
they  hid." 

"  But  it  is  altogether  too  much,  senor ;  it  is  noble  of  you 
to  offer  it  me."  * 

"  Not  at  all ;  we  owe  everything  we  find  to  you,  and  it 
would  be  only  fair  that  you  should  have  at  least  a  third  of 
the  gold.  But  still,  if  you  won't  touch  that,  you  must  take 
the  silver." 

"  But  I  heard  you  say  that  it  was  worth  four  thousand 
pounds." 

"  Well,  if  we  are  lucky  we  shall  get  twenty  times  as  much, 
Dias." 

"  Certainly  we  will  take  it,  senor,  and  grateful  we  shall 
both  be  to  you,"  Maria  said ;  "  and  so  will  Jose,  who  will 
inherit  it  all  some  day,  as  he  is  the  only  relative  we  have.  I 
agree  with  Dias  about  the  gold.  I  have  heard  so  often  about 
the  curse  on  it  that  I  should  be  afraid." 

"  Well,  Maria,  you  see  there  is  a  lot  of  nonsense  in  all  your 
superstitions.  You  know  it  was  one  of  them  that  this  place 
was  guarded  by  demons.  Now  you  have  seen  for  yourself 
that  it  was  all  humbug.  If  you  are  afraid  about  the  silver. 


THE   TREASURE  319 

I  will  take  it  to  England  and  sell  it  there  and  send  you  the 
money  it  fetches;  but  that  would  give  a  great  deal  of  trou- 
ble. It  will  be  difficult  to  get  the  gold  safely  away,  without 
being  bothered  with  all  the  silver. 

"  You  had  better  buy  some  bags  of  charcoal,  Dias.  I 
suppose  you  will  use  that  small  hearth  we  have  ? " 

"  No,  sefior,  it  would  take  an  immense  time  to  do  it  in 
that.  I  will  load  one  of  the  mules  with  hard  bricks." 

"  You  will  want  two  mules  to  carry  a  hundred,  Dias — I 
think  they  weigh  about  four  pounds  and  a  half  each.  Will 
that  be  enough  ?  " 

"Plenty,  senor;  but  I  shall  want  another  bellows.  Jose 
and  I  can  work  the  two  of  them,  and  that  will  make  a  great 
heat.  We  can  melt  two  or  three  hundred  pounds  a  day.  I 
have  helped  to  make  many  a  furnace  up  in  the  mountains, 
and  I  know  very  well  all  about  the  way  to  build  and  work 
them." 

"  Very  well,  then,  that  is  settled.  You  had  better  start 
to-mprrow  morning  with  Jose,  and  we  will  spend  the  day  in 
finding  out  a  little  more  about  the  gold." 

Dias  started  the  next  morning,  and  the  two  brothers  were 
in  the  water  most  of  the  day.  Harry  found,  as  he  had  ex- 
pected, that  a  great  deal  of  the  treasure  had  sunk  out  of 
reach  between  the  rocks;  but  he  came  upon  one  pile,  which 
had  apparently  been  originally  packed  in  sacks  or  skins,  lying 
in  a  heap  a  little  farther  out  than  they  had  before  searched. 
He  had  no  doubt  that^this  was  the  point  where  the  stern  of 
the  boat  had  sunk,  and  a  considerable  portion  of  the  contents 
had  been  shot  out,  while  the  rest  had  been  scattered  about 
as  the  boat  broke  up,  and  as  the  skins  rotted  their  contents 
had  fallen  between  the  rocks.  There  were,  as  nearly  as  he 
could  calculate,  two  hundred  and  fifty  to  three  hundred  in- 
gots in  the  pile. 

"  I  need  not  trouble  about  the  rest,"  he  laughed  to  himself. 
"  Each  ingot,  if  it  weighs  twenty  pounds,  is  worth  a  thousand. 
Two  hundred  of  them  would  make  me  as  rich  as  any  man 


320  THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  INCAS 

can  want  to  be.  I  can  hardly  believe  in  my  luck;  it  is  stu- 
pendous. Fancy  a  half-pay  lieutenant  with  two  hundred 
thousand  pounds!  Old  Fortescue  will  become  one  of  the 
most  complaisant  of  fathers-in-law." 

The  evening  before  Dias  left,  Harry  had  written  a  letter 
for  him  to  post  at  Callao,  telling  Hilda  to  keep  up  a  brave 
heart,  for  that  he  hoped  to  be  at  home  before  the  end  of  the 
second  year  with  money  enough  to  satisfy  her  father. 

"  I  should  not  tell  you  so  unless  I  felt  certain  of  what  I 
am  saying.  I  told  you  before  I  left  that  it  was  almost  a 
forlorn  hope  that  I  was  undertaking,  and  that  the  chances 
were  ten  thousand  to  one  against  me.  I  think  now  that  the 
one  chance  has  turned  up,  and  I  hope  to  be  home  within  two 
months  of  the  time  that  you  receive  this  letter." 

He  did  not  say  more;  but  even  now  he  could  scarcely  be- 
lieve that  the  good  fortune  had  befallen  him,  and  feared  that 
some  unlucky  fate  might  interfere  between  him  and  the  ful- 
filment of  his  hopes.  When  Dias  returned  after  two  days' 
absence  the  work  began.  Each  morning  they  worked  to- 
gether at  bringing  up  the  gold  and  piling  the  ingots  on  the 
rock.  It  was  slower  work  than  Harry  had  expected,  for  on 
hauling  the  bag  to  the  rocks  it  was  often  caught  by  the 
boulders,  and  he  and  Bertie  sometimes  had  to  dive  four  or 
five  times  before  they  could  free  it  and  get  it  ashore.  The 
gold  was  piled  in  the  tunnel  just  beyond  the  water.  In  a 
fortnight  the  last  ingot  they  could  get  at  was  stored  with 
its  fellows — two  hundred  and  eighty-two  in  all. 

They  had  repeatedly  talked  over  the  best  plan  of  getting 
the  gold  away,  and  finally  concluded  that  it  would  be  risking 
too  much  to  take  it  into  a  town,  and  that  the  best  plan  would 
be  for  Harry  to  buy  a  boat  at  Callao,  which,  as  a  naval  offi- 
cer, would  be  natural  enough.  They  decided  to  procure  three 
times  as  many  bags  as  the  ingots  would  really  require,  and 
that  they  should  put  in  each  bag  three  ingots  only,  filling  it 
up  with  pieces  of  stone,  so  that  the  weight  should  not  exceed 
what  it  would  have  been  were  the  contents  heavy  ore.  Harry 


THE  TBEASTJRE  321 

arranged  that  he  would  go  down  to  Callao,  huy  a  large  boat, 
and  after  having  made  several  excursions,  to  accustom  the 
officials  at  Callao  to  seeing  him  going  about,  he  would  make 
a  bargain  with  the  captains  of  two  ships  about  to  sail  to 
England,  to  carry  about  two  tons  each  of  ore,  which  he  could 
put  on  board  them  after  dark,  so  as  to  avoid  the  extortion 
he  would  have  to  submit  to  before  the  port  officials  and 
others  would  allow  him  to  ship  it.  The  question  that  puz- 
zled them  most  was  the  best  way  of  taking  the  bags  into  the 
boat.  Dias  was  in  favour  of  their  being  carried  on  the  mules 
to  a  point  lower  down  the  coast,  at  which  they  could  be 
loaded  into  the  boat. 

"It  would  be  only  necessary  to  carry  the  gold,"  he  said, 
"  the  stones  to  fill  the  bags  could  be  put  in  there." 

The  objection  to  this  was  that  they  might  be  observed  at 
work,  and  that  at  most  points  it  would  be  difficult  both  to 
run  the  boat  up  and  to  get  her  off  again  through  the  rollers. 
If  the  boat  were  brought  round  into  the  inlet  she  could  be 
loaded  there  comfortably.  The  only  fear  was  of  being  caught 
in  a  gale.  But  as  gales  were  by  no  means  frequent  the  risk 
was  small;  and  should  a  sudden  storm  come  on  when  she 
was  lying  there,  and  she  were  broken  up,  it  would  be  easy 
to  recover  the  gold  from  the  shallow  water  behind  the  rocks. 
This  was  therefore  settled.  Only  half  the  treasure  was  to 
be  taken  away  at  once,  and  not  till  this  had  been  got  on 
board  a  ship  and  the  vessel  had  sailed  would  the  boat  come 
back  for  the  rest  of  their  treasure. 

Dias  was  at  once  to  start  with  the  mules  and  carry  the 
silver,  in  two  journeys,  to  a  safe  place  among  the  mountains. 
There  he  could  bury  it  in  three  or  four  hiding-places,  to  be 
fetched  out  as  he  might  require  it,  only  taking  some  fifty 
pounds  to  Lima.  Here  he  was  to  dispose  of  a  portion  of  it 
to  one  of  the  dealers  who  made  it  his  business  to  buy  up 
silver  from  the  natives.  As  many  of  these  worked  small 
mines,  and  sent  down  the  produce  once  a  month  to  Lima, 
there  would  be  nothing  suspicious  in  its  being  offered  for 


322          THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  INCAS 

sale,  especially  as  it  would  be  known  that  Bias  had  been 
away  for  a  very  long  time  among  the  mountains.  It  was 
necessary  that  the  sale  should  be  effected  at  once,  because 
Harry's  stock  of  money  was  running  very  low,  and  he  would 
have  to  pay  for  the  passages  of  Bertie  and  himself  to  Eng- 
land, and  for  the  freight  of  the  gold.  Dias  was  to  dispose 
later  on  of  all  the  remaining  stores,  the  powder  and  tools, 
and  the  three  riding  mules. 

Two  days  later  the  last  of  the  silver  brackets  had  been 
melted,  and  Dias  and  Harry  started  with  the  eight  mules, 
six  of  them  being  laden  with  the  silver.  They  struck  back 
at  once  into  the  hills,  and  after  travelling  for  two  days,  as- 
cended a  wild  gorge.  "  It  is  not  once  a  year  that  anyone 
would  come  up  here,  senor.  There  is  no  way  out  of  it.  We 
can  bury  the  silver  here  with  a  certainty  that  it  will  be  safe 
from  disturbance." 

"Yes,  it  will  be  safe  here;  and  as  you  want  it  you  have 
only  to  make  a  journey  with  a  couple  of  mules  to  fetch  as 
much  as  you  require,  carry  it  home,  and  bury  it  in  your 
garden  or  under  the  house;  then  you  could  from  time  to 
time  take  a  few  ingots  into  the  town  and  dispose  of  them. 
But  to  begin  with,  I  will  borrow  fifty  pounds  weight  of  it, 
and  get  you  to  dispose  of  it  for  me  at  Lima.  My  money  is 
beginning  to  run  short.  I- shall  have  to  pay  for  the  freight 
of  the  gold  and  my  own  passage  home,  and  to  buy  a  boat 
large  enough  to  carry  half  the  treasure.  It  is  not  likely  that 
there  will  be  two  vessels  sailing  at  the  same  time,  in  which 
case  I  shall  make  two  trips.  As  I  should  not  put  it  on  board 
until  the  night  before  the  ship  sailed,  of  course  I  could  go 
home  with  the  second  lot." 

"  I  shall  never  know  what  to  do  with  a  tenth  part  of  this 
silver,  senor.  It  would  never  do  for  me  to  make  a  show  of 
being  rich;  the  authorities  would  seize  me,  and  perhaps  tor- 
ture me  to  make  me  reveal  the  source  of  my  wealth." 

"  Well,  there  are  thousands  of  your  countrymen  in  the 
deepest  poverty,  Dias;  you  could  secretly  help  those  in  dis- 


THE  TREASURE  323 

tress;  a  single  ingot,  ten  pounds  in  weight,  would  be  a 
fortune  to  them.  And  when  you  die  you  might  get  a  respect- 
able lawyer  to  make  out  a  will,  leaving  your  treasure  to  some 
charity  for  the  benefit  of  Indians,  giving,  of  course,  instruc- 
tions where  the  treasure  is  to  be  found." 

"  That  is  good,"  Dias  said.  "  Thank  you,  senor !  that  will 
make  me  very  happy." 

They  had  brought  a  pick  and  shovel  with  them,  and,  divid- 
ing the  bags,  buried  them  at  some  distance  apart,  rolling 
stones  to  cover  up  the  hiding-places,  and  obliterating  any 
signs  of  the  ground  having  been  disturbed.  A  hundred 
pounds  were  left  out,  and  with  this  in  their  saddle-bags  they 
arrived  at  Lima  two  days  later. 

Harry  went  on  alone  into  Callao.  He  had  no  difficulty 
in  purchasing  a  ship's  boat  in  fair  condition.  She  carried 
two  lug-sails,  and  was  amply  large  enough  for  the  purpose 
for  which  she  was  required,  being  nearly  thirty  feet  long 
with  a  beam  of  six  feet.  He  got  her  cheaply,  for  the  ship  to 
which  she  belonged  had  been  wrecked  some  distance  along 
the  coast,  and  a  portion  of  the  crew  had  launched  her  and 
made  their  way  to  Callao;  the  mate,  who  was  the  sole  sur- 
viving officer,  was  glad  to  accept  the  ten  pounds  Harry 
offered  for  her,  as  this  would  enable  the  crew  to  exist  until 
they  could  obtain  a  passage  home,  or  ship  on  board  some 
British  vessel  short  of  hands.  The  boat  was  too  large  to  be 
worked  by  one  man,  and  seeing  that  the  mate  was  an  honest 
and  intelligent  fellow,  Harry  arranged  with  him  to  aid  him 
to  sail  the  boat,  and  each  day  they  went  out  for  some  hours. 
After  spending  a  week  in  apparent  idleness,  and  getting  to 
know  more  of  the  man,  Harry  told  him  that  he  had  really 
bought  the  boat  for  the  purpose  of  getting  some  ore  he  had 
discovered  on  board  a  ship  homeward-bound. 

"  You  know  what  these  Peruvians  are,"  he  said,  "  and-  how 
jealous  they  are  of  our  getting  hold  of  mines,  so  I  have  got 
to  do  the  thing  quietly,  and  the  only  way  will  be  to  take  the 
ore  off  by  night.  It  is  on  a  spot  some  eighty  miles  along 


324  THE  TBEASURE  OF  THE  INCAS 

the  coast.  I  am  going  off  to-morrow  to  get  it  ready  for  em- 
barkation, and  I  shall  be  away  about  a  week.  I  find  that  the 
London  will  leave  in  ten  days,  and  I  shall  get  it  put  on  board 
the  night  before  she  sails.  While  I  am  away,  look  after  the 
boat.  The  Nancy  will  sail  five  days  later.  I  am  going  to 
put  half  on  board  each  ship,  as  I  am  anxious  to  ensure  that 
some  at  least  of  the  ore  shall  reach  home,  so  as  to  be  ana- 
lyzed, and  see  if  it  is  as  rich  as  I  hope.  But  be  sure  not  to 
mention  a  word  of  this  to  a  soul.  I  should  have  immense 
trouble  with  the  authorities  if  it  got  about  that  I  had  dis- 
covered a  mine." 

"I  understand,  sir.  You  may  be  quite  sure  I  shall  say 
nothing  about  it." 

"  How  are  your  men  getting  on  ?  " 

"Four  are  shipped  on  board  the  Esmeralda,  which  sailed 
yesterday,  the  others  are  hanging  on  till  they  can  get  berths. 
I  hope  a  few  will  be  able  to  go  in  the  two  ships  you  name, 
but  they  haven't  applied  at  present.  Some  of  the  crew  may 
desert  before  the  time  for  sailing  comes,  and  of  course  they 
would  get  better  paid  if  they  went  as  part  of  the  crew  than 
if  they  merely  worked  their  passage  home." 

"  I  am  sorry  for  them,"  Harry  said.  "  Here  is  another 
five  pounds  to  help  them  to  hold  on.  As  an  old  naval  officer 
I  can  feel  for  men  in  such  a  place." 

Dias,  after  selling  the  silver,  had,  a  week  before,  returned 
with  the  mules  to  the  castle,  and  on  his  arrival  there  had 
sent  Jose  to  join  Harry  and  bring  news  to  them  of  the  day 
on  which  the  boat  would  arrive.  Dias  and  Bertie  were  pack- 
ing half  the  bags,  of  which  the  former  took  with  him  an 
ample  supply,  to  get  the  gold  out  on  the  rocks  facing  the 
entrance,  so  that  they  could  be  shipped  without  delay.  Great 
pains  were  taken  in  packing  the  bags  so  that  the  three  ingots 
placed  in  each  should  be  completely  surrounded  by  stones. 
Anyone  who  might  take  a  fancy  to  feel  them,  in  order  to 
ascertain  their  contents,  would  have  no  reason  to  suppose 
that  they  carried  anything  beyond  the  ore  they  were  stated 
to  contain. 


THE  TREASURE  325- 

Harry  had  had  no  difficulty  in  arranging  with  the  captain 
of  the  London  to  take  from  a  ton  and  a  half  to  two  tons  of 
ore  the  night  before  he  sailed,  and  three  days  before  this 
Harry  started  with  the  mate.  There  was  but  a  light  breeze, 
and  it  was  daylight  next  morning  before  they  arrived.  A 
pole  had  been  stuck  up  at  the  edge  of  the  cliff  just  above 
the  cavern,  and  as  it  became  dark  a  lantern  was  also  placed 
there,  so  they  had  no  trouble  in  finding  the  entrance  of  the 
little  cove. 

"It  is  a  rum-looking  place,  sir,"  the  man  said.  "As  far 
as  I  can  see  there  is  no  break  in  the  cliffs." 

"  It  is  a  curious  place,  but  you  will  find  the  bags  with  the 
ore  on  the  rocks  inside  here  ready  for  us,  and  my  brother 
and  one  of  my  men  waiting  there.  They  will  have  made  us 
out  an  hour  ago,  so  we  can  load  up  at  once  and  get  out  of 
this  tiny  creek.  I  don't  want  to  stay  in  there  any  longer 
than  is  necessary,  for  if  there  is  anything  of  a  swell  we  could 
not  get  out  again." 

As  they  approached  the  place  Harry  gave  a  shout,  which 
was  at  once  answered.  The  sails  were  lowered,  and  the  boat 
passed  round  the  edge  of  the  rocks. 

"  It  is  a  rum  place,"  the  mate  repeated.  "  Why,  one  might 
have  rowed  past  here  fifty  times  without  thinking  there  was 
water  inside  the  rocks.  Of  course  you  must  have  lowered 
the  sacks  down  from  the  top  ? " 

"It  was  a  difficult  job,"  Harry  said  carelessly;  "but  we 
were  anxious  to  get  the  things  away  quietly.  If  we  had 
taken  them  down  to  the  port  we  should  have  had  no  end  of 
bother,  and  a  hundred  men  would  have  set  off  at  once  to  try 
and  find  out  where  we  got  the  ore." 

Bertie  and  Bias  had  everything  ready,  and  as  the  boat 
drew  up  alongside  the  rocks  on  which  they  were  standing  the 
former  said,  "Everything  all  right,  Harry?" 

"Yes,  I  hope  so.  We  are  to  put  the  ore  on  board  the 
London  to-morrow  after  dark;  she  will  get  up  her  anchor  at: 
daylight.  You  have  got  all  the  bags  ready,  I  hope  ?  " 


326  THE  TREASTJBE  OF  THE  ESTCAS 

"  Everything ;  the  others  will  be  ready  for  you  when  you 
come  back  for  them." 

"  The  next  ship  sails  in  about  a  week.  Now,  let  us  get 
them  on  board  at  once,  I  don't  want  to  stop  in  here  a  minute 
longer  than  is  necessary.  There  is  scarcely  a  breath  of  wind 
now;  if  it  doesn't  blow  up  a  bit  in  the  morning,  we  shall 
have  a  long  row  before  us  to  get  there  in  time.  This  is  my 
brother,  Owen;  the  other  is  a  mule-driver,  who  has  been  my 
guide  and  companion  for  the  past  year,  and  whom  I  am  proud 
to  call  my  friend." 

"  You  don't  want  anything  in  the  way  of  food,  do  you  ? " 
Bertie  asked. 

"  We  have  got  some  here,"  Harry  laughed.  "  I  am  too  old 
a  sailor  to  put  to  sea  without  having  provisions  in  my  craft. 
Now,  let  us  get  the  bags  on  board." 

It  did  not  take  them  long  to  transfer  the  sacks  into  the 
boat. 

"  They  are  pretty  heavy,"  the  mate  said,  "  I  should  say  a 
hundredweight  each." 

"  About  that,"  Harry  said  carelessly.  "  This  ore  stuff  is 
very  heavy." 

As  soon  as  all  was  on  board  Harry  said:  "Now  we  can 
put  out  at  any  moment,  but  I  don't  want  to  leave  till  dark. 
We  may  as  well  begin  to  get  the  rest  of  the  bags  out  here 
at  once.  We  might  finish  that  job  before  we  start.  Then 
you  could  come  down  with  us,  Bertie,  and  Dias  could  pack 
up  the  remaining  stores  to-morrow  and  start  for  Lima  with 
the  mules,  and  his  wife  and  Jose." 

"  Very  well,  Harry.  I  think  we  can  leave  the  sacks  here 
safely." 

"  Just  as  safely  as  if  they  were  ashore.  So  far  as  we  know 
no  one  has  been  in  here  for  the  past  two  hundred  years,  and 
no  one  is  likely  to  come  in  the  next  week." 

By  evening  all  the  work  was  done.  The  mate  had  been 
greatly  surprised  at  the  manner  in  which  the  bags  had  been 
brought  on  board,  but  had  helped  in  the  work  and  asked  no 


THE  TREASUBE  327 

questions.  As  soon  as  it  was  dark  they  rowed  out  from  the 
cove.  There  was  not  a  breath  of  wind.  Bertie  volunteered 
to  take  the  first  watch,  the  mate  was  to  take  the  next. 

Harry  was  not  sorry  to  turn  in.  He  had  had  but  little 
sleep  for  the  past  week.  Everything  had  seemed  to  be  going 
well,  but  at  any  moment  there  might  be  some  hitch  in  the 
arrangements,  and  he  had  been  anxious  and  excited.  Wrap- 
ping himself  in  his  poncho  he  lay  down  in  the  stern  of  the 
boat  and  slept  soundly  until  morning. 

"  I  have  had  a  sleep,"  he  said  on  waking.  "  I  have  slept 
longer  to-night  than  I  have  done  for  the  past  fortnight. 
Now  I  will  take  the  helm.  How  fast  have  we  been  moving  ?  " 

"  We  have  not  gone  many  miles,  and  if  what  tide  there  is 
hadn't  been  with  us  we  should  not  have  moved  at  all,  for 
the  sails  have  not  been  full  all  night.  A  breeze  only  sprang 
up  an  hour  ago,  and  we  are  not  moving  through  the  water 
now  at  more  than  a  knot  and  a  half;  but  I  think  it  is 
freshening." 

"  I  hope  it  is,"  Harry  said.  "  It  is  not  often  that  we  have 
a  dead  calm ;  but  if  it  doesn't  spring  up  we  shall  have  to  row. 
With  two  tons  and  a  half  of  stuff  on  board  it  is  as  much  as 
we  can  do  to  move  two  knots  an  hour  through  the  water." 

"  All  right,  sir !  when  you  think  it  is  time  to  begin,  stir 
me  up." 

In  half  an  hour  the  breeze  had  increased  so  much  that 
the  boat  was  running  along  three  knots  an  hour.  By  eight 
o'clock  she  was  doing  a  knot  better.  So  she  ran  along  till, 
at  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon,  the  wind  died  away  again, 
and  they  could  just  see  the  masts  of  the  ships  at  Callao  in 
the  distance. 

"  I  should  think  that  we  are  about  fifteen  miles  off,"  Harry 
said. 

"About  that,"  Bertie  replied.  "We  had  better  get  our 
oars  and  help  her  along,  she  is  not  going  much  more  than  a 
knot  through  the  water  an  hour." 

They  got  out  the  oars  and  set  to  work.     Occasionally  a 


328          THE  TKEASUEE  OF  THE  INCAS 

puff  of  wind  gave  them  a  little  assistance,  but  it  was  one 
o'clock  before  they  arrived  alongside  the  London. 

A  lamp  was  alight  at  the  gangway  as  arranged,  and  two 
sailors  were  on  watch. 

"The  captain  turned  in  an  hour  ago,  sir,"  one  of  them 
said.  "He  left  orders  that  the  mate  was  to  call  him  if  you 
arrived.  We  will  soon  have  him  up." 

In  five  minutes  the  mate  and  four  other  sailors  were  on 
deck. 

"  We  have  got  a  whip  rigged  in  readiness,"  the  officer  said. 
"  How  much  do  the  packages  weigh,  sir  ?  " 

"  They  are  leathern  bags,  and  weigh  about  a  hundredweight 
each." 

"  How  many  are  there  ? " 

"  Forty-six." 

"We  have  got  the  fore-hatch  open,  and  can  hand  them 
down  in  no  time.  If  you  will  pass  the  boat  along  to  the 
chains  forward  we  shall  be  ready  for  you.  Shall  I  send  a 
couple  of  hands  down  into  the  boat  to  hook  them  on  ? " 

"No,  you  needn't  do  that." 

As  soon  as  the  boat  reached  her  station  a  rope  with  a 
couple  of  small  chains  attached  descended.  One  of  the 
chains  was  fastened  round  a  bag,  and  this  was  at  once  run 
up.  By  the  time  the  rope  came  down  again  the  other  chain 
was  passed  round  another  bag,  and  in  a  quarter  of  an  hour 
the  whole  were  on  board  and  down  in  the  hold.  The  captain 
had  now  come  out. 

"  So  you  have  got  them  off  all  right,  Mr.  Prendergast  ? " 

"Yes.  There  are  forty-six  bags.  We  will  say,  roughly, 
two  ton  and  a  half;  though  I  doubt  whether  there  is  as 
much  as  that.  At  any  rate,  I  will  pay  you  for  the  freight 
agreed  upon  at  once.  They  have  all  got  labels  on  them,  and 
on  your  arrival,  after  being  handed  into  store,  are  to  remain 
till  called  for.  I  am  coming  on  in  the  Nancy.  I  do  not 
know  whether  she  is  faster  than  you  are  or  not.  At  any 
rate,  she  is  not  likely  to  be  long  behind  you." 


HOME  329 

"I  think  that  possibly  you  will  be  home  first,  sir;  the 
Nancy  made  the  voyage  out  here  a  fortnight  quicker  than 
we  did;  but  it  depends,  of  course,  on  what  weather  we  meet 
with.  I  was  on  board  her  this  afternoon,  and  her  captain 
and  I  made  a  bet  of  five  pounds  each  as  to  which  would  be 
in  the  port  of  London  first.  I  shall  have  the  anchor  up  by 
daylight.  Now,  gentlemen,  will  you  come  down  into  the 
cabin  and  we  will  take  a  glass  together." 

Harry  did  so,  and  after  emptying  a  tumbler  and  wishing 
the  captain  a  quick  and  pleasant  voyage,  he  got  into  the  boat 
and  rowed  two  or  three  miles  along  the  shore,  as  a  landing 
at  that  time  of  night  might  cause  questions  to  be  asked;  and 
then  they  lay  down  and  slept  by  turns  until  morning  broke. 
'A  light  breeze  then  sprang  up,  and  hoisting  sail  they  returned 
to  Callao.  The  London  was  already  far  out  at  sea. 


CHAPTEE  XX 

HOMK 

TWO  days  later,  Bias,  Jose,  and  Maria  arrived  at  Callao, 
having  left  the  mules  at  Lima. 

"  Was  it  got  off  all  right,  senor  ?  "  Bias  asked. 

"  Yes.  It  was  a  pretty  near  touch,  for  we  had  to  row  nine 
hours,  and  only  saved  our  time  by  an  hour." 

"  And  when  will  you  start  again  ?  " 

"  The  Nancy  sails  in  four  days,  so  I  shall  go  down  to-mor- 
row morning.  I  don't  want  to  run  the  risk  again  of  losing 
the  boat." 

" Well,  we  shall  be  stronger  handed,"  Bertie  said.  "Of 
course  I  shall  go  down  with  you;  Dias  says  he  will  too;  so 
we  will  be  able  to  man  four  oars,  if  necessary." 

"  What  have  you  done  with  the  goods  ? "  Harry  asked. 

"  I  sold  them  all  at  Lima,  senor,  to  the  man  I  got  them 
from.  He  took  off  a  third  of  the  price,  and  said  he  could 


830  THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  TNCAS 

not  have  taken  them  if  it  had  not  heen  that  he  had  just  got 
an  order  down  from  the  Cerro  mines,  and  was  short  of  some 
of  the  things  they  had  ordered." 

"  That  is  all  right,  Bias." 

Harry  secured  two  rooms  at  the  hotel,  and  they  all  sat 
talking  far  into  the  night.  "  I  hope  you  will  get  your  silver 
down  as  comfortably  as  we  have  got  the  gold." 

"I  have  no  fear  about  doing  that,  senor.  The  difficulty 
will  be  for  me  to  know  what  to  do  with  it.  I  can  never  spend 
so  much." 

"  Oh,  nonsense,  Bias !  " 

"  I  mean  it,  senor.  Maria  and  I  are  quite  agreed  that  we 
don't  want  any  larger  house  than  we  have  got;  and  I  know 
that  if  we  did  want  a  big  one,  there  would  be  all  sorts  of 
questions  as  to  where  I  had  got  the  money  from." 

"  There  would  be  no  difficulty  in  answering  that,  Dias. 
You  told  me  how  your  friend  found  five  mule-loads  of  silver 
in  the  bats'  cave.  You  have  only  got  to  say  that  you  found 
yours  hidden  away,  which  would  be  the  truth.  Jose  is  nine- 
teen now,  and  you  will  want  to  provide  him  with  some  good 
mules,  and  to  put  by  some  money  for  him  when  he  wants 
to  marry  and  settle.  I  know  you  spoke  very  highly  of  an 
institution  at  Lima  for  the  orphans  of  natives.  You  can 
hand  them  over  some,  and  when  you  and  Maria  don't  want 
it  any  longer  you  can  leave  them  the  rest." 

Maria  cried  bitterly  in  the  morning  when  they  said  good- 
bye. "  I  shall  love  you  and  pray  for  you  always,  senors," 
she  sobbed.  "I  shall  never  forget  all  your  kindness." 

"  We  owe  you  more  than  you  owe  us,"  Harry  said.  "  You 
have  always  been  ready  to  do  everything,  and  you  have  kept 
us  alive  with  your  merry  talk  and  good  spirits.  You  may 
be  very  sure  that  we  shall  never  forget  you." 

Jose  was  almost  equally  affected.  "  You  will  never  come 
back,  senor,"  he  said,  as  the  tears  rolled  down  his  cheeks. 

"  I  may  some  day,  Jose.  I  think  it  likely  that  I  shall  some 
day  get  up  a  company  to  drain  that  lake  in  the  golden  valley. 


HOME  331 

The  gold  will  be  more  useful  as  money  than  lying  there.  It 
must  depend  partly  upon  whether  the  country  is  settled. 
People  will  not  put  money  into  Peru  as  long  as  you  are 
always  fighting  here." 

Maria  and  Jose  would  have  accompanied  them  down  to 
the  boat  the  next  morning,  but  Dias  pointed  out  to  them 
that  they  were  apparently  only  going  out  for  a  day's  sail, 
and  that  if  there  were  any  partings  on  the  shore  it  would  at 
once  attract  the  suspicions  of  the  customs-house  officials 
there. 

Accordingly,  after  a  painful  farewell,  Dias  and  the  two 
brothers  went  down  to  the  boat,  where  the  mate  was  already 
awaiting  them.  The  voyage  was  as  successful  as  the  previ- 
ous one  had  been.  On  the  return  journey  the  wind  held,  and 
they  arrived  alongside  of  the  Nancy  by  eleven  o'clock;  the 
bags  were  all  safely  in  the  hold  by  midnight.  The  first  mate 
of  the  ship  had  two  days  before  been  taken  with  fever  and 
sent  ashore,  and  the  captain  had  gladly  accepted  the  offer 
of  Harry's  assistant  to  take  the  berth  of  second  mate,  that 
officer  having  succeeded  to  the  post  of  the  first.  Harry  had 
told  him  that  he  could  sell  the  boat,  and  he  had,  before 
starting  on  the  trip,  done  so,  on  the  understanding  that  it 
would  be  found  on  the  beach  in  charge  of  Dias  when  the 
Nancy  had  sailed. 

Harry  had  given  him  another  ten  pounds  to  provide  him- 
self with  an  outfit,  and  had  also  asked  him  to  distribute 
twenty  among  his  former  shipmates  for  the  same  purpose, 
as  these  had  lost  all  their  clothing  except  what  they  stood 
in.  The  ship's  dinghy,  with  a  couple  of  hands,  towed  the 
boat,  with  Dias  in  it,  to  the  shore.  The  muleteer  was 
greatly  affected  at  parting  with  Harry  and  his  brother. 

"  It  has  been  a  fortunate  journey  for  us  both,"  Dias  said, 
"  and  I  shall  always  look  back  to  the  time  we  spent  together 
with  the  greatest  pleasure." 

"  Here  is  a  piece  of  paper  with  my  address  in  London. 
I  know  that  you  will  have  no  difficulty  in  getting  letters 


332          THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  INCAS 

written  for  you.  Let  me  hear  from  you  once  every  six 
months  or  so,  telling  me  how  you  are  getting  on,  and  I  will 
write  to  you.  Good-bye!  We  shall  always  remember  you, 
and  be  thankful  that  we  had  so  faithful  a  guide  here,  and, 
I  may  say,  so  faithful  a  friend." 

The  voyage  home  was  an  uneventful  one,  save  that  they 
met  with  a  heavy  storm  while  rounding  the  Horn,  and  for 
some  days  the  vessel  was  in  great  danger.  However,  she 
weathered  it  safely,  and  when  she  arrived  in  the  Thames  she 
found  that  the  London  had  come  up  on  the  previous  tide. 

"  If  it  hadn't  been  for  that  storm  we  should  have  beaten 
her  easily,"  the  captain  said.  "  But  I  don't  mind  losing  that 
fiver,  considering  that  we  have  gained  four  days  on  her." 

On  landing,  Harry  went  straight  to  the  Bank  of  England 
and  informed  the  managers  that  he  had  two  hundred  and 
eighty-two  ingots  of  gold,  weighing  about  twenty  pounds 
each,  which  he  wished  to  deposit  in  their  vaults  until  they 
could  weigh  them  and  place  their  value  to  his  credit,  and 
he  requested  them  to  send  down  one  of  their  waggons  to  the 
docks  the  next  day  to  receive  them.  On  the  following  even- 
ing he  had  the  satisfaction  of  knowing  that  the  whole  of  the 
treasure  was  at  last  in  safe-keeping.  Then  he  took  a  hackney- 
coach  and  drove  to  Jermyn  Street,  where  he  had  taken  rooms, 
having  the  night  before  carried  there  the  trunks  which  he 
had  stored  before  he  left  England.  He  smiled  as  he  spread 
out  suit  after  suit. 

"  I  don't  know  anything  about  the  fashions  now,"  he  said, 
"  and  for  aught  I  can  tell  they  may  have  changed  altogether. 
However,  I  don't  suppose  there  will  be  such  an  alteration 
that  I  shall  look  as  if  I  had  come  out  of  the  ark.  Certainly 
I  am  not  going  to  wait  till  I  get  a  new  outfit. 

"  It  did  not  seem  to  me,"  he  said  to  himself,  "  that  I  left 
a  ridiculously  large  wardrobe  before  I  went.  But  after 
knocking  about  for  two  years  with  a  single  change,  it  really 
does  seem  absurd  that  I  should  ever  have  thought  I  absolutely 
required  all  these  things.  Now,  I  suppose  I  had  better  write 


HOME  333 

to  the  old  man  and  say  that  I  have  returned,  and  shall  call 
upon  him  to-morrow.  The  chances  are  ten  to  one  against 
my  catching  him  in  now,  and  as  this  is  rather  a  formal  sort 
of  business,  I  had  better  give  him  due  notice;  but  I  cannot 
keep  Hilda  in  suspense.  I  wonder  whether  she  has  the  same 
maid  as  she  had  before  I  went  away.  I  have  given  the  girl 
more  than  one  half-guinea,  and  to  do  her  justice  I  believe 
that  she  was  so  attached  to  her  mistress  that  she  would  have 
done  anything  for  her  without  them.  Still,  I  can't  very  well 
knock  at  the  door  and  ask  for  Miss  Fortescue's  maid;  I  ex- 
pect I  must  trust  the  note  to  a  footman.  If  she  does  not 
get  it,  there  is  no  harm  done;  if  he  hands  it  to  her  father, 
no  doubt  it  would  put  him  in  a  towering  rage,  but  he  will 
cool  down  by  the  time  I  see  him  in  the  morning." 

He  sat  down  and  wrote  two  notes.  The  first  was  to  Mr. 
Fortescue;  it  only  said: — 

"Dear  Sir, — I  have  returned  from  abroad,  and  shall  do 
myself  the  pleasure  of  calling  upon  you  at  eleven  o'clock 
to-morrow  morning  to  discuss  with  you  a  matter  of  much 
importance  to  myself." 

The  note  to  Hilda  was  still  shorter: — 

"  My  darling, — I  am  home  and  am  going  to  call  on  your 
father  at  eleven  o'clock  to-morrow  morning.  I  am  two 
months  within  the  two  years. — Yours  devotedly, 

"HAERY  PKENDEKGAST." 

Having  sealed  both  letters,  he  walked  to  Bedford  Square. 
When  the  door  opened,  he  saw  that  the  footman  was  one  of 
those  who  had  been  in  Mr.  Fortescue's  service  before  he  left. 

"  You  have  not  forgotten  me,  Edward,  have  you  ?  " 

"  Why,  it  is  Mr.  Prendergast !  Well,  sir,  it  is  a  long  time 
since  we  saw  you."  • 

"  Yes,  I  have  been  abroad.  Will  you  hand  this  letter  to 
Mr.  Fortescue.  Is  he  in  at  present  ?  " 


334          THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  INCAS 

"No,  sir;  he  and  Mrs.  Fortescue  are  both  out.  Miss 
Fortescue  is  out  too." 

"Well  now,  Edward,  will  you  hand  this  letter  quietly  to 
Miss  Fortescue  when  she  comes  in  ? "  and  he  held  out  the 
note  and  a  guinea  with  it. 

The  man  hesitated. 

"  You  need  not  be  afraid  of  giving  it  to  her,"  Harry  went 
on.  "  It  is  only  to  tell  her  what  I  have  told  your  master  in 
my  letter  to  him,  that  I  am  going  to  call  to-morrow." 

"  Then  I  shall  be  glad  to  do  it,"  the  man  said — for,  as 
usual,  the  servants  were  pretty  well  acquainted  with  the  state 
of  affairs,  and  when  Harry  went  away,  and  their  young  mis- 
tress was  evidently  in  disgrace  with  her  father,  they  guessed 
pretty  accurately  what  had  happened,  and  their  sympathies 
were  with  the  lovers.  Harry  returned  to  Jennyn  Street 
confident  that  Hilda  would  get  his  note  that  evening.  He 
had  no  feeling  of  animosity  against  her  father.  It  was  nat- 
ural that,  as  a  large  land-owner,  and  belonging  to  an  old 
family,  and  closely  connected  with  more  than  one  peer  of 
the  realm,  he  should  offer  strong  opposition  to  the  marriage 
of  his  daughter  to  a  half-pay  lieutenant,  and  he  had  been 
quite  prepared  for  the  burst  of  anger  with  which  his  request 
for  her  hand  had  been  received.  He  had  felt  that  it  was  a 
forlorn  hope;  but  he  and  Hilda  hoped  that  in  time  the  old 
man  would  soften,  especially  as  they  had  an  ally  in  her 
mother.  Hilda  had  three  brothers,  and  as  the  estates  and 
the  bulk  of  Mr.  Fortescue's  fortune  would  go  to  them,  she 
was  not  a  great  heiress,  though  undoubtedly  she  would  be 
well  dowered. 

On  arriving  the  next  morning  Harry  was  shown  into  the 
library.  Mr.  Fortescue  rose  from  his  chair  and  bowed  coldly. 

"  To  what  am  I  indebted  for  the  honour  of  this  visit,  Mr. 
.Prendergast  ?  I  had  hoped  that  the  emphatic  way  in  which 
I  rejected  your — you  will  excuse  my  saying — presumptuous 
request  for  the  hand  of  my  daughter,  would  have  settled  the 
matter  once  and  for  all ;  and  I  trust  that  your  request  for  an 


HOME  335 

interview  to-day  does  not  imply  that  you  intend  to  renew 
that  proposal,  which  I  may  say  at  once  would  receive,  and 
will  receive  as  long  as  I  live,  the  same  answer  as  I  before 
gave  you." 

"  It  has  that  object,  sir,"  Harry  said  quietly,  "  but  under 
somewhat  changed  conditions.  I  asked  you  at  that  time  to 
give  me  two  years,  in  which  time  possibly  my  circumstances 
might  change.  You  refused  to  give  me  a  single  week;  but 
your  daughter  was  more  kind,  and  promised  to  wait  for  the 
two  years,  which  will  not  be  up  for  two  more  months." 

"  She  has  behaved  like  a  froward  and  obstinate  girl,"  her 
father  said  angrily.  "  She  has  refused  several  most  eligible 
offers,  and  I  have  to  thank  you  for  it.  Well,  sir,  I  hope  at 
least  that  you  have  the  grace  to  feel  that  it  is  preposterous 
that  you  should  any  longer  stand  in  the  way  of  this  mis- 
guided girl." 

"  I  have  come  to  say  that  if  it  is  her  wish  and  yours  that 
I  should  stand  aside,  as  you  say,  I  will  do  so,  and  in  my  let- 
ters I  told  her  that  unless  circumstances  should  be  changed 
before  the  two  years  have  expired  I  would  disappear  alto- 
gether from  her  path." 

"  That  is  something  at  least,  sir,"  Mr.  Fortescue  said  with 
more  courtesy  than  he  had  hitherto  shown.  "  I  need  not  say 
that  there  is  no  prospect  of  your  obtaining  my  consent,  and 
may  inform  you  that  my  daughter  promised  not  to  withstand 
my  commands  as  far  as  you  are  concerned  beyond  the  expira- 
tion of  the  two  years.  I  do  not  know  that  there  is  anything 
more  to  say." 

"I  should  not  have  come  here,  sir,  had  there  not  been 
more  to  say,  but  should  simply  have  addressed  a  letter  to 
you  saying  that  I  withdrew  all  pretensions  to  your  daughter's 
hand.  But  I  have  a  good  deal  more  to  say.  I  have  during 
the  time  that  I  have  been  away  succeeded  in  improving  my 
condition  to  a  certain  extent." 

"  Pooh,  pooh,  sir ! "  the  other  said  angrily.  "  Suppose 
you  made  a  thousand  or  two,  what  possible  difference  could 
it  make?" 


336          THE  TEEASURE  OF  THE  INCAS 

"  I  am  not  foolish  enough  to  suppose  that  it  would  do  so ; 
but  at  least  this  receipt  from  the  Bank  of  England,  for  gold 
deposited  in  their  hands,  will  show  you  that  the  sums  you 
mention  have  been  somewhat  exceeded." 

"  Tut,  tut,  I  don't  wish  to  see  it !  it  can  make  no  possible 
difference  in  the  matter." 

"  At  least,  sir,  you  will  do  me  the  courtesy  to  read  it,  or 
if  you  prefer  not  to  do  so  I  will  read  it  myself." 

"  Give  it  me,"  Mr.  Fortescue  said,  holding  out  his  hand. 
"  Let  us  get  through  this  farce  as  soon  as  possible ;  it  is 
painful  to  us  both." 

He  put  on  his  spectacles,  glanced  at  the  paper,  and  gave 
a  sudden  start;  read  it  again,  carefully  this  time,  and  then 
said  slowly : 

"Do  you  mean  that  the  two  hundred  and  eighty-two 
ingots,  containing  in  all  five  thousand  six  hundred  and  forty 
pounds  weight  of  gold,  are  your  property?  That  is  to  say, 
that  you  are  the  sole  owner  of  them,  and  not  only  the  repre- 
sentative of  some  mining  company  ?  " 

"  It  is  the  sole  property,  Mr.  Fortescue,  of  my  brother  and 
myself.  I  own  two-thirds  of  it.  It  is  lost  treasure  recovered 
by  us  from  the  sea,  where  it  has  been  lying  ever  since  the 
conquest  of  Peru  by  Pizarro." 

"  There  is  no  mistake  about  this  ?  The  word  pounds  is  not 
a  mistake  for  ounces? — although  even  that  would  represent 
a  very  large  sum." 

"  The  bank  would  not  be  likely  to  make  such  a  mistake 
as  that,  sir.  The  ingots  weigh  about  twenty  pounds  each. 
I  had  a  small  piece  of  the  gold  assayed  at  Callao,  and  its 
value  was  estimated  at  four  pounds  per  ounce.  Roughly, 
then,  the  value  of  the  sum  deposited  at  the  bank  is  two  hun- 
dred and  seventy  thousand  pounds." 

"  Prodigious !  "  Mr.  Fortescue  murmured. 

"Well,  Mr.  Prendergast,  I  own  that  you  have  astounded 
me.  It  would  be  absurd  to  deny  that  this  altogether  alters 
the  position.  Against  you  personally  I  have  never  had  any- 


HOME  337 

thing  to  say.  You  were  always  a  welcome  visitor  to  my 
house  till  I  saw  how  matters  were  tending.  Your  family, 
like  my  own,  is  an  old  one,  and  your  position  as  an  officer 
in  the  King's  Naval  Service  is  an  honourable  one.  However, 
I  must  ask  you  to  give  me  a  day  to  reflect  over  the  matter, 
to  consult  with  my  wife,  and  to  ascertain  that  my  daughter's 
disposition  in  the  matter  is  unchanged." 

"  Thank  you,  sir !  But  I  trust  that  you  will  allow  me  to 
have  an  interview  with  Miss  Fortescue  now.  It  is  two  years 
since  we  parted,  and  she  has  suffered  great  anxiety  on  my 
account,  and  on  the  matter  of  my  safety  at  least  I  would  not 
keep  her  a  moment  longer  in  suspense." 

"  I  think  that  after  the  turn  the  matter  has  taken  your 
request  is  a  reasonable  one.  You  are  sure  to  find  her  in 
the  drawing-room  with  her  mother  at  present.  I  think  it  is 
desirable  that  you  should  not  see  her  alone  until  the  matter 
is  formally  arranged." 

Prendergast  bowed. 

"I  am  content  to  wait,"  he  said  with  a  slight  smile. 

"  I  will  take  you  up  myself,"  the  other  said. 

Harry  could  have  done  without  the  guidance,  for  he  knew 
the  house  well.  However,  he  only  bowed  again,  and  followed 
the  old  man  upstairs. 

The  latter  opened  the  door  and  said  to  his  wife:  "My 
dear,  I  have  brought  an  old  friend  up  to  see  you ; "  and  as 
Harry  entered  he  closed  the  door  and  went  down  to  the 
library  again. 

"  Nearly  two  hundred  thousand  pounds !  "  he  said.  "  A 
splendid  fortune!  Nearly  twice  as  much  as  I  put  by  before 
I  left  the  bar.  How  in  the  world  could  he  have  got  it  ? 
'  Got  it  up  out  of  the  sea,'  he  said ;  a  curious  story.  How- 
ever, with  that  acknowledgment  from  the  bank  there  can  be 
no  mistake  about  it.  Well,  well,  it  might  be  worse.  I  always 
liked  the  young  fellow  till  he  was  fool  enough  to  fall  in  love 
with  Hilda,  and  worse  still,  she  with  him.  The  silly  girl 
might  have  had  a  coronet.  However,  there  is  no  accounting 


338          THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  INCAS 

for  these  things,  and  I  am  glad  that  the  battle  between  us 
is  at  an  end.  I  was  only  acting  for  her  good,  and  I  shoulc 
have  been  mad  to  let  her  throw  herself  away  on  a  penniles: 
officer  on  half -pay." 

Mrs.  Fortescue  waved  her  hand  as  Harry,  on  entering,  wai 
about  to  speak  to  her. 

"  Go  to  her  first,"  she  said ;  "  she  has  waited  long  enougl 
for  you." 

And  he  turned  to  Hilda. 

He  made  a  step  towards  her  and  held  out  his  arms,  anc 
with  a  little  cry  of  joy  she  ran  into  them. 

"  And  is  it  all  right  ? "  she  said  a  minute  later.  "  Can  i 
really  be  all  right  ? " 

"  You  may  be  quite  sure  that  it  is  all  right,  Hilda,"  Mrs 
Fortescue  said.  "  Do  you  think  your  father  would  hav< 
brought  him  up  here  if  it  hadn't  been?  Now  you  can  conw 
to  me,  Harry." 

"  I  am  glad,"  she  said  heartily.  "  We  have  had  a  very  bac 
time.  Now,  thank  God,  it  is  all  over.  You  see  she  has  onlj 
had  me  to  stand  by  her,  for  her  brothers,  although  they  hav< 
not  taken  open  part  against  her,  have  been  disposed  to  thinl 
that  it  was  madness  her  wasting  two  years  on  the  chance  o: 
your  making  a  fortune.  Of  course  you  have  done  so,  or  yoi 
would  not  be  in  this  drawing-room  at  present." 

"  I  have  done  very  well,  Mrs.  Fortescue.  I  was  able  t( 
show  Mr.  Fortescue  a  receipt  for  gold  amounting  to  nearlj 
three  hundred  thousand  pounds,  of  which  two-thirds  belong 
to  me,  the  rest  to  my  brother." 

Mrs.  Fortescue  uttered  an  exclamation  of  astonishment. 

"  What  have  you  been  doing,  Harry  ?  "  she  asked — "  plun 
dering  a  Nabob  ?  " 

"  Nabobs  do  not  dwell  in  Peru,"  he  laughed.  "  No,  I  hav( 
discovered  a  long-lost  treasure,  which,  beyond  any  doubt,  was 
part  of  the  wealth  of  Atahualpa,  the  unfortunate  monarch 
whom  Pizarro  first  plundered  and  then  slew.  It  had  beer 
sent  off  by  sea,  and  the  vessel  was  lost.  It  is  too  long  a  storj 
to  tell  now." 


HOME  339 

"  And  Papa  has  quite  consented,  Harry  ?  " 

Harry  smiled. 

"  Virtually  so,  as  you  might  suppose  by  his  bringing  me 
up  here.  Actually  he  has  deferred  the  matter,  pending  a 
consultation  with  you  and  Mrs.  Fortescue,  and  will  give  me 
his  formal  answer  to-morrow." 

The  two  ladies  both  smiled. 

"If  he  said  that,  the  matter  is  settled,"  the  elder  said; 
"he  has  never  asked  my  opinion  before  on  the  subject,  and 
I  have  never  volunteered  it.  But  I  am  sure  he  has  not  the 
slightest  doubt  as  to  what  I  thought  of  it.  So  we  can  con- 
sider it  as  happily  settled  after  all.  If  I  had  thought  that 
there  was  the  slightest  chance  of  your  making  a  fortune 
quickly  I  should  have  spoken  out;  but  as  I  thought  it  abso- 
lutely hopeless,  I  have  done  what  I  could  privately  to  support 
Hilda,  always  saying,  however,  that  if  at  the  end  of  the  two 
years  nothing  came  of  it,  I  could  not  in  any  way  countenance 
her  throwing  away  the  chances  of  her  life." 

"You  were  quite  right,  Mrs.  Fortescue.  I  had  fully  in- 
tended to  write  to  Hilda  at  the  end  of  that  time  releasing 
her  from  all  promises  that  she  had  made  to  me,  and  saying 
that  I  felt  that  I  had  no  right  to  trouble  her  further;  but 
from  what  she  wrote  to  me,  I  doubt  whether  her  father  would 
have  found  her  altogether  amenable  to  his  wishes  even  at  the 
end  of  the  two  years." 

A  month  later  there  was  a  wedding  in  Bedford  Square. 
Among  those  present  no  one  was  more  gratified  than  Mr. 
Barnett,  whose  surprise  and  satisfaction  were  great  when 
Harry  told  him  in  confidence  the  result  of  his  advice,  and 
especially  of  his  introduction  to  the  Indian  guide. 

It  had  been  arranged  that  nothing  should  be  said  as  to  the 
source  from  which  Harry  had  obtained  his  wealth,  as  it  was 
possible  that  the  Peruvian  government  might  set  up  some 
claim  to  it,  and  it  was  in  Mr.  Fortescue's  opinion  very  doubt- 
ful what  the  result  would  be,  as  it  had  been  discovered  so 
close  to  the  shore. 


340  THE"  TKEASURE   OF  THE   INCAS 

Harry  never  took  any  steps  with  reference  to  the  gold 
valley,  for  the  constant  troubles  in  Peru  were  sufficient  to 
deter  any  wealthy  men  from  investing  money  there. 

The  correspondence  between  him  and  Dias  and  his  wife 
was  maintained  until  they  died  full  of  years  and  greatly 
lamented  by  numbers  oi. their  countrymen  to  whom  they  had 
been  benefactors. 

Bertie  never  went  to  sea  again  except  in  his  own  yacht, 
but  when  he  came  of  age,  bought  an  estate  near  Southamp- 
ton, and  six  years  later  brought  home  a  mistress  for  it. 


THE  END 


A  LIST  OF  BOOKS 

[FOR 

YOUNG  PEOPLE 

By  G.  A.  HENTY 


BY  CONDUCT  AND  COURAGE 

A  Story  of  Nelson's  Days.     Illustrated.     $1.20  net. 

This,  the  last  of  the  celebrated  Henty  Books  ever  to  be  published,  is  a 
rattling  story  of  the  battle  and  the  breeze  hi  the  glorious  days  of  Parker 
and  Nelson.  The  hero  is  brought  up  in  a  Yorkshire  fishing  village,  and 
enters  the  navy  as  a  ship's  boy. 

In  the  course  of  a  few  months  after  joining  he  so  distinguishes  him- 
self in  action  with  French  ships  and  Moorish  pirates  that  he  is  raised  to 
the  dignity  of  midshipman.  His  ship  is  afterward  sent  to  the  West 
Indies.  Here  his  services  attract  the  attention  of  the  Admiral,  who 
gives  him  command  of  a  small  cutter.  In  this  vessel  he  cruises  about 
among  the  islands,  chasing  and  capturing  pirates,  and  even  attacking 
their  strongholds.  He  is  a  born  leader  of  men,  and  his  pluck,  foresight, 
and  resource  win  him  success  where  men  of  greater  experience  might 
have  failed.  He  is  several  times  taken  prisoner:  by  mutinous  negroes 
in  Cuba,  by  Moorish  pirates  who  carry  him  as  a  slave  to  Algiers,  and 
finally  by  the  French.  In  this  last  case  he  escapes  hi  time  to  take  part 
in  the  battles  of  Cape  St.  Vincent  and  Camperdown.  His  adventures 
include  a  thrilling  experience  in  Corsica  with  no  less  a  companion  than 
Nelson  himself. 

WITH  THE  ALLIES  TO  PEKIN 

A  Tale  of  the  Relief  of  the  Legations.  Illustrated  by  WAL  PAGET. 
$1.20  net. 

In  this  book  the  writer  re-tells  the  story  of  the  Siege  of  Pekin  in  a 
•way  that  is  sure  to  grip  the  interest  of  his  young  readers.  The  experi- 
ences of  Rex  Bateman,  the  son  of  an  English  merchant  at  Tientsin,  and 
of  his  cousins,  two  girls  whom  Rex  rescues  from  the  Boxers  just  after 
the  first  outbreak,  offer  a  variety  of  heroic  incident  sufficient  to  fire  the 
loyalty  of  the  most  indifferent  lad. 

THROUGH  THREE  CAMPAIGNS 

A  Story  of  Chitral,  Tirah,  and  Ashanti.     Illustrated  by  WAL 
PAGET.    $1.20  net. 

The  exciting  story  of  a  boy's  adventures  in  the  British  Army.  Lisle 
Bullen,  left  an  orphan,  is  to  be  sent  home  by  the  colonel  of  the  regiment 
on  the  eve  of  the  Chitral  campaign.  The  boy's  patriotism  compels  him, 
instead,  to  secretly  join  the  regiment.  He  early  distinguishes  himself 
for  conspicuous  bravery.  His  disguise  is  discovered  and  his  promotions 
follow  rapidly. 


BOOKS  FOR    YOUNG    PEOPLE 


BY  G.  A.   HENTY 

"  Among  writers  of  stories  of  adventures  for  boys  Mr.  Henty  stands 
in  the  very  first  rank." — Academy  (London). 


THE  TREASURE  OF  THE  INCAS 

A  Tale  of  Adventure  in  Peru.    With  8  full-page  Illustrations  by 
WAL  PAGET,  and  Map.    $1.20  net. 

Peru  and  the  hidden  treasures  of  her  ancient  kings  offer  Mr.  Henty 
a  most  fertile  field  for  a  stirring  story  of  adventure  in  his  most  engaging 
style.  In  an  effort  to  win  the  girl  of  his  heart,  the  hero  penetrates  into 
the  wilds  of  the  land  of  the  Incas.  Boys  who  have  learned  to  look  for 
Mr.  Henty's  books  will  follow  his  new  hero  in  his  adventurous  and 
romantic  expedition  with  absorbing  interest.  It  is  one  of  the  most  cap- 
tivating tales  Mr.  Henty  has  yet  written, 


WITH  KITCHENER  IN  THE  SOUDAN 

A  Story  of  Atbara  and  Omdurman.    With  10  full-page  Illus- 
trations.   $1.20  net. 

Mr.  Henty  has  never  combined  history  and  thrilling  adventure  more 
skillfully  than  hi  this  extremely  interesting  story  It  is  not  in  boy  na- 
ture to  lay  it  aside  unfinished,  once  begun;  and  finished,  the  reader 
finds  himself  in  possession,  not  only  of  the  facts  and  the  true  atmos- 
phere of  Kitchener's  famous  Soudan  campaign,  but  of  the  Gordon 
tragedy  which  preceded  it  by  so  many  years  and  of  which  it  was  the 
outcome. 

WITH  THE  BRITISH  LEGION 

A  Story  of  the.Carlist  Uprising  of  1836.    Illustrated.    $1.20  net. 

Arthur  Hallet,  a  young  English  boy,  finds  himself  in  difficulty  at 
home,  through  certain  harmless  school  escapades,  and  enlists  in  the 
famous  "  British  Legion,"  which  was  then  embarking  for  Spain  to  take 
part  in  the  campaign  to  repress  the  Carlist  uprising  of  1836.  Arthur 
shows  his  mettle  in  the  first  fight,  distinguishes  himself  by  daring  work 
in  carrying  an  important  despatch  to  Madrid,  makes  a  dashing  and 
thrilling  rescue  of  the  sister  of  his  patron,  and  is  rapidly  promoted  to 
the  rank  of  captain.  In  following  the  adventures  of  the  hero  the  reader 
obtains,  as  is  usual  with  Mr.  Henty's  stories,  a  most  accurate  and  in- 
teresting history  of  a  picturesque  campaign. 


BOOKS  FOR    YOUNG   PEOPLE 


STORIES    BY    Q.    A,    HENTY 

"  His  books  have  at  once  the  solidity  of  history  and  the  charm  of 
romance.  "-Journal  of  Education. 


TO  HERAT   AND   CABUL 

A  Story  of  the  First  Afghan  War.    By  Q.  A.  HENTY.     With 
Illustrations.      12mo,  $1.20  net. 

The  greatest  defeat  ever  experienced  by  the  British  Army  was  that 
in  the  Mountain  Passes  of  Afghanistan.  Angus  Cameron,  the  hero  of 
this  book,  having  been  captured  by  the  friendly  Afghans,  was  com- 
pelled to  be  a  witness  of  the  calamity.  His  whole  story  is  an  intensely 
interesting  one,  from  his  boyhood  in  Persia;  his  employment  under  the 
Government  at  Herat;  through  the  defense  of  that  town  against  the 
Persians;  to  Cabul,  where  he  shared  in  all  the  events  which  ended  in 
the  awful  march  through  the  Passes  from  which  but  one  man  escaped. 
Angus  is  always  at  the  point  of  danger,  and  whether  in  battle  or  in 
hazardous  expeditions  shows  bow  much  a  brave  youth,  full  of 
resources,  can  do,  even  with  so  treacherous  a  foe.  His  dangers  and 
adventures  are  thrilling,  and  his  escapes  marvellous. 

WITH  ROBERTS  TO  PRETORIA 

A  Tale  of  the  South  African  War.     By  G.  A  EENTY.     With  12 
Illustrations.    $1.20  net. 

The  Boer  War  gives  Mr.  Henty  an  unexcelled  opportunity  for  a 
thrilling  story  of  present-day  interest  which  the  author  could  not  fail  to 
take  advantage  of.  Every  boy  reader  will  find  this  account  of  the  ad- 
ventures of  the  young  hero  most  exciting,  and,  at  the  same  time  a 
wonderfully  accurate  description  of  Lord  Roberta's  campaign  to  Preto- 
ria. Boys  have  found  history  in  the  dress  Mr.  Henty  gives  it  anything 
but  dull,  and  the  present  book  is  no  exception  to  the  rule. 

AT  THE  POINT  OF  THE  BAYONET 

A  Tale  of  the  Mahratta  War.    By  G.  A.  HENTY.     Illustrated. 
12mo,  $1.20  net. 

One  hundred  years  ago  the  rule  of  the  British  in  India  was  only  partly 
established.  The  powerful  Mahrattas  were  unsubdued,  and  with  their 
skill  in  intrigue,  and  great  military  power,  they  were  exceedingly  dan- 
gerous. The  story  of  "At  the  Point  of  the  Bayonet"  begins  with 
the  attempt  to  conquer  this  powerful  people.  Harry  Lindsay,  an 
infant  when  his  father  and  mother  were  killed,  was  saved  by  his 
Mahratta  ayah,  who  carried  him  to  her  own  people  and  brought  him 
up  as  a  native.  She  taught  him  as  best  she  could,  and,  having  told  him 
his  parentage,  sent  him  to  Bombay  to  be  educated.  At  sixteen  ho  ob- 
tained a  commission  in  the  English  Army,  and  his  knowledge  of  the 
Mahratta  tongue  combined  with  his  ability  and  bravery  enabled  him  to 
render  great  service  in  the  Mahratta  War,  and  carried  him,  through 
many  frightful  perils  by  land  and  sea,  to  high  rank. 


BOOKS  FOB    TO  UNO   PEOPLE 


BY  G. A.  HENTY 

"Mr.  Henty  might  with  entire  propriety  be  called  the  boys' Sir 
Walter  Scott."— Philadelphia  Press. 


IN  THE   IRISH   BRIGADE 

A  Tale  of  War  in  Flanders  and  Spain.    With  12  Illustrations  by 
CHAKLKB  M.  SHELDON.    12mo,  $1.50. 

Desmond  Kennedy  is  a  young  Irish  lad  who  left  Ireland  to  join  the 
Irish  Brigade  in  the  service  of  Louis  XIV.  of  France.  In  Paris  he  in- 
curred the  deadly  hatred  of  a  powerful  courtier  from  whom  he  had 
rescued  a  young  girl  who  had  been  kidnapped,  and  his  perils  are  of  ab- 
sorbing interest.  Captured  in  an  attempted  Jacobite  invasion  of  Scot- 
land, he  escaped  in  a  most  extraordinary  manner.  As  aid-de-camp 
to  the  Duke  of  Berwick  he  experienced  thrilling  adventures  in  Flan- 
ders. Transferred  to  the  Army  in  Spain,  he  was  nearly  assa88inated,but 
escaped  to  return,  when  peace  was  declared,  to  his  native  land,  having 
received  pardon  and  having  recovered  his  estates.  The  story  is  filled 
with  adventure,  and  the  interest  never  abates. 

OUT   WITH   GARIBALDI 

A   Story  of  the  Liberation  of  Italy.     By  G.  A.  HENTY.    With 
8  Illustrations  by  W.  RAINEY,  R.I.     12mo,  $1.50. 

Garibaldi  himself  is  the  central  figure  of  this  brilliant  story,  and  the 
little-known  history  of  the  struggle  for  Italian  freedom  is  told  here  in 
the  most  thrilling  way.  From  the  time  the  hero,  a  young  lad,  son  of 
an  English  father  and  an  Italian  mother,  joins  Garibaldi's  band  of 
1,000  men  in  the  first  descent  upon  Sicily,  which  was  garrisoned  by  one 
of  the  large  Neapolitan  armies,  until  the  end,  when  all  those  armies 
are  beaten,  and  the  two  Sicilys  are  conquered,  we  follow  with  the 
keenest  interest  the  exciting  adventures  of  the  lad  in  scouting,  in 
battle,  and  in  freeing  those  in  prison  for  liberty's  sake. 

WITH   BULLER   IN  NATAL 

Or,   A  Born  Leader.     By  G.  A.  HENTY.     With  10  Illustrations 
by  W.  RAINEY.    12mo,  $1.50. 

The  breaking  out  of  the  Boer  War  compelled  Chris  King,  the  hero 
of  the  story,  to  flee  with  his  mother  from  Johannesburg  to  the  sea 
coast.  They  were  with  many  other  Uitlanders,  and  all  suffered  much 
from  the  Boers.  Reaching  a  place  of  safety  for  their  families,  Chris 
and  twenty  of  his  friends  formed  an  independent  company  of  scouts.  In 
this  service  they  were  with  Gen.  Yule  at  Glencoe,  then  in  Ladysmith, 
then  with  Buller.  In  each  place  they  had  many  thrilling  adventures. 
They  were  in  great  battles  and  in  lonely  fights  on  the  Veldt ;  were 
taken  prisoners  and  escaped;  and  they  rendered  most  valuable  service 
to  the  English  forces.  The  story  is  a  most  interesting  picture  of  the 
War  in  South  Africa. 


BOOKS  FOR    YOUNG   PEOPLE 


BY  Q.  A.  HENTY 

11  Surely  Mr.  Henty  should  understand  boys'  tastes  better  than  any 
man  living." — The  Times. 


WON   BY   THE   SWORD 

A  Tale  of  the  Thirty  Years'  War.     With  12  Illustrations  by 
CHARLES  M.  SHELDON,  and  four  Plans.     12mo,  $1.50. 

The  scene  of  this  story  is  laid  in  France,  during  the  time  of  Richelieu, 
of  Mazarin  and  Anne  of  Austria.  The  hero,  Hector  Campbell,  is  the 
orphaned  son  of  a  Scotch  officer  in  the  French  Army.  How  he  at- 
tracted the  notice  of  Marshal  Turenne  and  of  the  Prince  of  Conde ; 
how  he  rose  to  the  rank  of  Colonel ;  how  he  finally  had  to  leave  France, 
pursued  by  the  deadly  hatred  of  the  Due  de  Beaufort — all  these  and 
much  more  the  story  tells  with  the  most  absorbing  interest. 

A  ROVING  COMMISSION 

Or,  Through  the  Black  Insurrection  at  Hayti.     With  12  Illus- 
trations by  WILLIAM  RAINEY.    12mo,  $1.50. 

This  is  one  of  the  most  brilliant  of  Mr.  Henty's  books.  A  story  of 
the  sea,  with  all  its  life  and  action,  it  is  also  full  of  thrilling  adven- 
tures on  land.  So  it  holds  the  keenest  interest  until  the  end.  The 
scene  is  a  new  one  to  Mr.  Henty's  readers,  being  laid  at  the  time  of  the 
Great  Revolt  of  the  Blacks,  by  which  Hayti  became  independent. 
Toussaint  1'Overture  appears,  and  an  admirable  picture  is  given  of  him 
and  of  his  power. 

NO   SURRENDER 

The   Story  of  the  Revolt  in  La  Vendee.     With  8  Illustrations 
by  STANLEY  L.  WOOD.    12mo,  $1.50. 

The  revolt  of  La  Vende"e  against  the  French  Republic  at  the  tame  of 
the  Revolution  forms  the  groundwork  of  this  absorbing  story.  Leigh 
Stansfield,  a  young  English  lad,  is  drawn  into  the  thickest  of  the  con- 
flict. Forming  a  company  of  boys  as  scouts  for  the  Vend6an  Army, 
he  greatly  aids  the  peasants.  He  rescues  his  sister  from  the  guillotine, 
and  finally,  after  many  thrilling  experiences,  when  the  cause  of  La 
Vende'e  is  lost,  he  escapes  to  England. 

UNDER  WELLINGTON'S  COMMAND 

A  Tale  of  the  Peninsular  War.     With  12  Illustrations  by  WAL 
PAGET.    12mo,  $1.50. 

The  dashing  hero  of  this  book,  Terence  O'Connor,  was  the  hero  of 
Mr.  Henty's  previous  book,  "  With  Moore  at  Corunna,"  to  which  this 
is  really  a  sequel.  He  is  still  at  the  head  of  the  "  Minho  "  Portuguese 
regiment.  Being  detached  on  independent  and  guerilla  duty  with  his 
regiment,  he  renders  invaluable  service  in  gaining  information  and  in 
harassing  the  French.  His  command,  being  constantly  on  the  edge  of 
the  army,  is  engaged  in  frequent  skirmishes  and  some  most  important 
battles. 


BOOKS   FOR    YOUNG   PEOPLE 


BY  G.  A.  HENTY 

"  Mr.  Henty  is  the  king  of  story-tellers  for  boys." — Sword  and  Trowd. 


AT  ABOUKIR  AND  ACRE 

A  Story  of  Napoleon's  Invasion  of  Egypt.  With  8  full-page 
Illustrations  by  WILLIAM  RAINEY,  and  3  Plans.  12mo, 
$1.50. 

The  hero,  having  saved  the  life  of  the  son  of  an  Arab  chief,  is  taken 
into  the  tribe,  has  a  part  in  the  battle  of  the  Pyramids  and  the  revolt 
at  Cairo.  He  is  an  eye-witness  of  the  famous  naval  battle  of  Aboukir, 
and  later  is  in  the  hardest  of  the  defense  of  Acre. 

BOTH  SIDES  THE  BORDER 

A  Tale  of  Hotspur  and  Glendower.  With  13  full-page  Illus- 
trations by  RALPH  PEACOCK.  12mo,  $1.50. 

This  is  a  brilliant  story  of  the  stirring  times  of  the  beginning  of  the 
Wars  of  the  Roses,  when  the  Scotch,  under  Douglas,  and  the  Welsh, 
under  Owen  Glendower,  were  attacking  the  English.  The  hero  of  the 
book  lived  near  the  Scotch  border,  and  saw  many  a  hard  fight  there. 
Entering  the  service  of  Lord  Percy,  he  was  sent  to  Wales,  where  he 
was  knighted,  and  where  he  was  captured.  Being  released,  he  returned 
home,  and  shared  in  the  fatal  battle  of  Shrewsbury. 


WITH  FREDERICK  THE  GREAT 

A  Tale  of  the  Seven  Years'  War.     With  12  full-page  Illustra- 
tions.    12mo,  $1.50. 

The  hero  of  this  story  while  still  a  youth  entered  the  service  of 
Frederick  the  Great,  and  by  a  succession  of  fortunate  circumstances 
and  perilous  adventures,  rose  to  the  rank  of  colonel.  Attached  to  the 
staff  of  the  king,  he  rendered  distinguished  services  in  many  battles,  in 
one  of  which  he  saved  the  king's  life.  Twice  captured  and  imprisoned, 
he  both  times  escaped  from  the  Austrian  fortresses. 

A  MARCH  ON  LONDON 

A  Story  of  Wat  Tyler's  Rising.     With  8  full-page  Illustra- 
tions by  W_  H.  MARGKTSON.    12mo,  $1.50. 

The  story  of  Wat  Tyler's  Rebellion  is  but  little  known,  but  the  hero 
of  this  story  passes  through  that  perilous  time  and  takes  part  in  the 
civil  war  in  Flanders  which  followed  soon  after.  Although  young  he 
is  thrown  into  many  exciting  and  dangerous  adventures,  through  which 
he  passes  with  great  coolness  and  much  credit 


BOOKS    FOR    YOUNG   PEOPLE 


BY  G.  A.  HENTY 

"  No  country  nor  epoch  of  history  is  there  which  Mr.  Henty  does  not 
know,  and  what  is  really  remarkable  is  that  he  always  writes  well  and 
interestingly." — New  York  Times. 


WITH  MOORE  AT  CORUNNA 

A  Story  of  the  Peninsular  War.  With  12  full-page  Illustra- 
tions by  WAL  PAGET.  12mo,  $1.50. 

Terence  O'Connor  is  living  with  his  widowed  father,  Captain  O'Con- 
nor of  the  Mayo  Fusiliers,  with  the  regiment  at  the  time  when  the 
Peninsular  war  began.  Upon  the  regiment  being  ordered  to  Spain, 
Terence  gets  appointed  as  aid  to  one  of  the  generals  of  a  division.  By 
his  bravery  and  great  usefulness  throughout  the  war,  he  is  rewarded 
by  a  commission  as  colonel  in  the  Portuguese  army  and  there  rendered 
great  service. 

AT  AGINCOURT 

A  Tale  of  the  White  Hoods  of  Paris.  With  12  full-page 
Illustrations  by  WALTER  PAGET.  Crown  8vo,  olivine 
edges,  $1.50. 

The  story  begins  in  a  grim  feudal  castle  in  Normandie.  The  times 
were  troublous,  and  soon  the  king  compelled  Lady  Margaret  de  Villeroy 
with  her  children  to  go  to  Paris  as  hostages.  Guy  Ayimer  went  with 
her.  Paris  was  turbulent.  Soon  the  guild  of  the  butchers,  adopting 
white  hoods  as  their  uniform,  seized  the  city,  and  besieged  the  house 
where  our  hero  and  his  charges  lived.  After  desperate  fighting,  the 
white  hoods  were  beaten  and  our  hero  and  his  charges  escaped  from 
the  city,  and  from  France. 

WITH  COCHRANE  THE  DAUNTLESS 

A  Tale  of  the  Exploits  of  Lord  Cochrane  in  South  American 
Waters.  With  12  full-page  Illustrations  by  W.  H. 
MARGETSON.  Crown  8vo,  olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

The  hero  of  this  story  accompanies  Cochrane  as  midshipman,  and 
serves  in  the  war  between  Chili  and  Peru.  He  has  many  exciting 
adventures  in  battles  by  sea  and  land,  is  taken  prisoner  and  condemned 
to  death  by  the  Inquisition,  but  escapes  by  a  long  and  thrilling  flight 
across  South  America  and  down  the  Amazon. 

ON  THE  IRRAWADDY 

A  Story  of  the  First  Burmese  War.  With  8  full  page  Illus- 
trations by  W.  H.  OVEREND.  Crown  8vo,  olivine  edges, 
$1.50. 

The  hero,  having  an  uncle,  a  trader  on  the  Indian  and  Burmese 
rivers,  goes  out  to  join  him.  Soon  after,  war  is  declared  by  Burmah 
against  England  and  he  is  drawn  into  it.  He  has  many  experiences 
and  narrow  escapes  in  battles  and  in  scouting.  With  half-a-dozen 
men  he  rescues  his  cousin  who  had  been  taken  prisoner,  and  in  the 
flight  they  are  besieged  in  an  old,  ruined  temple. 


BOOKS  FOR    YOUNG    PEOPLE 


BY  G.  A.  HENTY 

"  Boys  like  stirring  adventures,  and  Mr.  Henty  is  a  master  of  this 
method  of  composition." — New  York  Times. 


THROUGH   RUSSIAN  SNOWS 

A  Story  of  Napoleon's  Retreat  from  Moscow.  With  8  full- 
page  Illustrations  by  W.  H.  OVEREND  and  3  Maps.  Crown 
8vo,  olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

The  hero,  Julian  Wyatt,  after  several  adventures  with  smugglers,  by 
whom  he  is  handed  over  a  prisoner  to  the  French,  regains  his  freedom 
and  joins  Napoleon's  army  in  the  Russian  campaign.  When  the  terrible 
retreat  begins,  Julian  finds  himself  in  the  rear  guard  of  the  French  army, 
fighting  desperately.  Ultimately  he  escapes  out  of  the  general  disaster, 
and  returns  to  England. 

A   KNIGHT   OF    THE  WHITE   CROSS 

A  Tale  of  the  Siege  of  Rhodes.  With  12  full  page  Illustra- 
tions by  RALPH  PEACOCK,  and  a  Plan.  Crown  8vo,  olivine 
edges,  $1.50. 

Gervaise  Tresham,  the  hero  of  this  story,  joins  the  Order  of  the 
Knights  of  St.  John,  and  proceeds  to  the  stronghold  of  Rhodes.  Sub- 
sequently he  is  appointed  commander  of  a  war-galley,  and  in  his  first 
voyage  destroys  a  fleet  of  Moorish  corsairs.  During  one  of  his  cruises 
the  young  knight  is  attacked  on  shore,  captured  after  a  desperate 
struggle,  and  sold  into  slavery  in  Tripoli.  He  succeeds  in  escaping,  and 
returns  to  Rhodes  in  time  to  take  part  in  the  defense  of  that  fortress. 

THE   TIGER   OF   MYSORE 

A  Story  of  the  War  with  Tippoo  Baib.  With  12  full-page 
Illustrations  by  W.  H.  MARGETSON,  and  a  Map.  Crown 
8vo,  olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

Dick  Holland,  whose  father  is  supposed  to  be  a  captive  of  Tippoo 
Saib,  goes  to  India  to  help  him  to  escape.  He  joins  the  army  under 
Lord  Cornwallis,  and  takes  part  in  the  campaign  againt  Tippoo. 
Afterwards  he  assumes  a  disguise,  enters  Seringapatam,  and  at  last 
he  discovers  his  father  in  the  great  stronghold  of  Savandroog.  The 
hazardous  rescue  is  at  length  accomplished,  and  the  young  fellow's 
dangerous  mission  is  done. 

IN  THE  HEART  OF  THE  ROCKIES 

A  Story  of  Adventure  in  Colorado.  By  G.  A.  HENTY.  With 
8  full-page  Illustrations  by  G.  C.  HINDLEY.  Crown  8vo, 
olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

The  hero,  Tom  Wade,  goes  to  seek  his  uncle  in  Colorado,  who  is  a 
hunter  and  gold-digger,  and  he  is  discovered,  after  many  dangers,  out 
on  the  Plains  with  some  comrades.  Going  in  quest  of  a  gold  mine,  the 
little  band  is  spied  by  Indians,  chased  across  the  Bad  Lands,  and 
overwhelmed  by  a  snowstorm  in  the  mountains. 


BOOKS  FOR    YOUNG   PEOPLE 


BY  G.  A,  HENTY 

"  Mr.  Henty  is  one  of  the  best  story-tellers  for  young  people." 

— Spectator. 


WHEN  LONDON   BURNED 

A  Story  of  the  Plague  and  the  Fire.  By  G.  A.  HENTY.  With 
12  full-page  Illustrations  by  J.  FINNEMORE.  Crown  8vo, 
olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

The  hero  of  this  story  was  the  son  of  a  nobleman  who  had  lost  h  is 
estates  during  the  troublous  times  of  the  Commonwealth.  During  the 
Great  Plague  and  the  Great  Fire,  Cyril  was  prominent  among  those 
who  brought  help  to  the  panic-stricken  inhabitants. 

WULF  THE  SAXON 

A  Story  of  the  Norman  Conquest.  By  G.  A.  HENTY.  With 
12  full-page  Illustrations  by  RALPH  PEACOCK.  Crown 
8vo,  olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

The  hero  is  a  young  thane  who  wins  the  favor  of  Earl  Harold  and 
becomes  one  of  his  retinue.  When  Harold  becomes  King  of  England 
Wulf  assists  iu  the  Welsh  wars,  and  takes  part  against  the  Norsemen 
at  the  Battle  of  Stamford  Bridge.  When  William  of  Normandy  in- 
vades England,  Wulf  is  with  the  English  host  at  Hastings,  and  stands 
by  his  king  to  the  last  in  the  mighty  struggle. 

ST.  BARTHOLOMEW'S  EVE 

A  Tale  of  the  Huguenot  Wars.  By  G.  A.  HENTY.  With  12 
full-page  Illustrations  by  H.  J.  DRAPER,  and  a  Map. 
Crown  8vo,  olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

The  hero,  Philip  Fletcher,  has  a  French  connection  on  his  mother's 
side.  This  induces  him  to  cross  the  Channel  in  order  to  take  a  share 
in  the  Huguenot  wars.  Naturally  he  sides  with  the  Protestants,  dis- 
tinguishes himself  in  various  battles,  and  receives  rapid  promotion  for 
the  zeal  and  daring  with  which  he  carries  out  several  secret  missions. 

THROUGH  THE  SIKH  WAR 

A  Tale  of  the  Conquest  of  the  Punjauh.  By  G.  A.  HENTY. 
With  12  full-page  illustrations  by  HAL  HURST,  and  a 
Map.  Crown  8vo,  olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

Percy  Groves,  a  spirited  English  lad,  joins  his  uncle  in  the  Punjaub, 
where  the  natives  are  in  a  state  of  revolt.  Percy  joins  the  British 
force  as  a  volunteer,  and  takes  a  distinguished  share  in  the  famous 
battles  of  the  Punjaub. 


BOOKS  FOR    YOUXG   PEOPLE 


BY  G.  A.  HENTY 

"  The  brightest  of  the  living  writers  whose  office  it  is  to  enchant  the 
boys. — Christian  Leader. 


A  JACOBITE  EXILE 

Being  the  Adventures  of  a  Young  Englishman  in  the  Service 
of  Charles  XII.  of  Sweden.  By  G.  A.  HENTY.  With  8 
full-page  Illustrations  by  PAUL  HARDY,  and  a  Map.  Crown 
8vo,  olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

Sir  Marmaduke  Carstairs,  a  Jacobite,  is  the;victim  of  a  conspiracy,  and 
he  is  denounced  as  a  plotter  against  the  life  of  King  William.  He  flies 
to  Sweden,  accompanied  by  his  son  Charlie.  This  youth  joins  the 
foreign  legion  under  Charles  XII.,  and  takes  a  distinguished  part  in 
several  famous  campaigns  against  the  Russians  and  Poles. 

CONDEMNED  AS  A  NIHILIST 

A  Story  of  Escape  from  Siberia.  By  G.  A.  HENTY.  With  8 
full-page  Illustrations.  Crown  8vo,  olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

The  hero  of  this  story  is  an  English  boy  resident  in  St.  Petersburg. 
Through  two  student  friends  he  becomes  innocently  involved  in 
various  political  plots,  resulting  in  his  seizure  by  the  Russian  police 
and  his  exile  to  Siberia.  He  ultimately  escapes,  and,  after  many  ex- 
citing adventures,  he  reaches  Norway,  and  thence  home,  after  a 
perilous  journey  which  lasts  nearly  two  years. 

BERIC  THE  BRITON 

A  Story  of  the  Roman  Invasion.  By  G.  A.  HENTY.  With 
12  full-page  Illustrations  by  W.  PARKINSON.  Crown  8vo, 
olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

This  story  deals  with  the  invasion  of  Britain  by  the  Roman  legionaries. 
Beric,  who  is  a  boy-chief  of  a  British  tribe,  takes  a  prominent  part  in 
the  insurrection  under  Boadicea ;  and  after  the  defeat  of  that  heroic 
queen  (in  A.  D.  62)  he  continues  the  struggle  in  the  fen-country. 
Ultimately  Beric  is  defeated  and  carried  captive  to  Rome,  where  he  is 
trained  in  the  exercise  of  arms  in  a  school  of  gladiators.  At  length  he 
returns  to  Britain,  where  he  becomes  ruler  of  his  own  people. 

IN  GREEK  WATERS 

A  Story  of  the  Grecian  War  of  Independence  (1821-1827).  By 
G.  A.  HENTY.  With  12  full-page  Illustrations  by  W.  S. 
STACEY,  and  a  Map.  Crown  8vo,  olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

Deals  with  the  revolt  of  the  Greeks  in  1821  against  Turkish  oppres- 
sion. Mr.  Beveridge  and  his  son  Horace  fit  out  a  privateer,  load  it 
with  military  stores,  and  set  sail  for  Greece.  They  rescue  the  Chris- 
tians, relieve  the  captive  Greeks,  and  fight  the  Turkish  war  vessels. 


BOOKS  FOR    YOUNG   PEOPLE 


BY  G.  A.  HENTY 

"  No  living  writer  of  books  for  boys  writes  to  better  purpose  than 
Mr.  G.  A.  Henty."— Philadelphia  Press. 


THE  DASH  FOR  KHARTOUM 

A  Tale  of  the  Nile  Expedition.  By  G.  A.  HENTY.  With  10 
full-page  Illustrations  by  JOHN  SCHONBERG  and  J.  NASH. 
Crown  8vo,  olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

In  the  record  of  recent  British  history  there  is  no  more  captivating 
page  for  boys  than  the  story  of  the  Nile  campaign,  and  the  attempt  to 
rescue  General  Gordon.  For,  in  the  difficulties  which  the  expedition 
encountered,  in  the  perils  which  it  overpassed,  and  in  its  final  tragic 
disappointments,  are  found  all  the  excitements  of  romance,  as  well  as 
the  fascination  which  belongs  to  real  events. 

REDSKIN  AND  COW-BOY 

A  Tale  of  the  Western  Plains.  By  G.  A.  HBNTT.  With  12 
full-page  Illustrations  by  ALFRED  PEABSE.  Crown  8vo, 
olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

The  central  interest  of  this  story  is  found  in  the  many  adventures  of 
an  English  lad,  who  seeks  employment  as  a  cow-boy  on  a  cattle  ranch. 
His  experiences  during  a  "  round-up  "  present  in  picturesque  form  the 
toilsome,  exciting,  adventurous  life  of  a  cow-boy  ;  while  the  perils  of  a 
'"ontier  settlement  are  vividly  set  forth  in  an  Indian  raid. 


HELD  FAST  FOR  ENGLAND 

A  Tale  of  the  Siege  of  Gibraltar.  By  G.  A.  HENTY.  With 
8  full-page  Illustrations  by  GORDON  BROWNE.  Crown  8vo, 
olivine  edges,  $1.50. 

This  story  deals  with  one  of  the  most  memorable  sieges  in  history — 
the  siege  of  Gibraltar  in  177&-83  by  the  united  forces  of  France  and 
Spain.  With  land  forces,  fleets,  and  floating  batteries,  the  combined 
resources  of  two  great  nations,  this  grim  fortress  was  vainly  besieged 
and  bombarded.  The  hero  of  the  tale,  an  English  lad  resident  in 
Gibraltar,  takes  a  brave  and  worthy  part  in  the  long  defence,  and  it  is 
through  his  varied  experiences  that  we  learn  with  what  bravery,  re- 
source, and  tenacity  the  Rock  was  held  for  England. 


NOTE. — For  a  list  of  Henty  Books  at  popular  prices,  see  the 
following  page. 


BOOKS 

BY 

KIRK  MUNROE 

PUBLISHED  BY 

CHARLES  SCRIBNER'S  SONS 


A  Son  of  Satsuma 

OR 

WITH  PERRY  IN  JAPAN 

Illustrated  by  Rufas  F.  Zogbaum 
12mo.    net,  $1.00 

"  'A  Son  of  Satsuma '  tells  of  the  adventures  of  an  American 
youngster,  and  tells  it  in  a  way  that  is  of  highest  interest  as  well 
as  of  educational  value.  It  is  a  story  to  make  every  boy  proud 
of  his  country  and  countrymen." — Nashville  American. 

Brethren  of  the  Coast 

A  TALE  OF  WEST  INDIAN 
PIRATES 

Illustrated  by  Rufus  F.  Zogbaum 
12mo.     $1.25 

"  There  is  enough  of  history  and  enough  of  action  in  this  story 
to  make  it  valuable  as  well  as  readable,  and  this  story  of  ad- 
venture and  description  will  be  read  with  interest  and  profit." 

— Herald  and  Presbyter. 


BOOKS   BY  KIRK  MUNROE 


Midshipman  Stuart 

OR 

THE  LAST  CRUISE  OF  THE  ESSEX 

A  TALE  OF  1812 

Illustrated  by  L  W.  Taber 

12mo.  $1.25 

"  I  know  of  no  more  agreeable  or  effective  way  in  which  boys 
can  be  made  acquainted  with  some  of  the  splendid  pages  of 
American  history  than  through  such  books  as  this  one  of 
Mr.  Munroe's,  which  preserves  the  main  facts  in  their  true 
perspective,  while  supplying  a  story  that  will  hold  the  atten- 
tion of  any  adventure-loving  boy." — Brooklyn  Life. 


In  Pirate  Waters 

A  TALE  OF  THE  AMERICAN  NAVY 

Illustrated  by  L  W.  Taber 
12mo.    $1.25 

"  It  deals  with  the  thrilling  adventures  undergone  by  the 
youthful  hero  in  Tripolitan  waters.  The  story  is  well  told, 
abounding  in  incident,  and  keeps  a  firm  hold  on  the  reader's 
attention  as  he  follows  the  brave  midshipman  through  the  war 
with  Tripoli." — Philadelphia  Press. 

"  The  narrative  has  a  plot  that  is  new,  and  a  vigor  of  treat- 
ment that  holds  the  attention  from  first  to  last." 

— Boston  Advertiser. 


BOOKS  BY  KIRK  MUNROE 


The 

WHITE  CONQUEROR  SERIES 

Each  Illustrated.     12mo,  $1.25 
The  complete  set,  4  volumes,  in  a  box,  $5.00 


With 
Crockett  and  Bowie 

OR 
FIGHTING  FOR  THE  LONE  STAR  FLAG 

A  TALE  OF  TEXAS 

Illustrated  by  Victor  Perard 

12mo.    $1.25 

"  The  author  is  to  be  congratulated  upon  having  made  an  episode 
of  American  history  into  a  tale  calculated  to  interest  even  the 
dullest  and  least  patriotic  among  his  young  readers." 

— New  York  Tribune. 

At  War  with  Pontiac 

OR 

THE  TOTEM  OF  THE  BEAR 

A  TALE  OF  REDCOAT  AND  REDSKIN 

Illustrated  by  J.  Finnemore 

12mo.  $1.25 

"  Most  graphically  has  Mr.  Munroe  drawn  the  battles  of  the 
past,  and  he  has  woven  into  the  story  a  pretty  love  episode. 
'At  War  with  Pontiac  '  is  in  his  best  vein." — New  York  Times. 


BOOKS   BY  KIRK  MUNROE 


WHITE   CONQUEROR    SERIES  —  Continued 

Through  Swamp  and 
Glade 

A  TALE  OF  THE  SEMINOLE  WAR 

Illustrated  by  Victor  Perard 
12mo.   $1.25 

"  It  is  a  dramatic  story,  set  in  scenes  of  rich  tropical  luxuriance, 
and  peopled  with  the  strangely  contrasted  characters  of  the  place 
and  period.  It  is  full  of  strange  adventure,  of  stirring  incidents, 
and  rapid  action,  and  it  is  a  true  and  faithful  picture  of  a  period 
of  history  little  known  to  young  readers." 

— San  Francisco  Bulletin, 

The  White  Conquerors 

A  TALE  OF  TOLTEC  AND  AZTEC 

Illustrated  by  W.  S.  Stacey 
12mo.    $1.25 

"It  is  one  of  Mr.  Munroe's  best  stories,  and  will  be  thoroughly 
enjoyed  by  all  his  boy  contingent  of  readers." — Chicago  Herald. 

"  It  is  by  far  the  best  book  on  the  subject  we  know  of,  and 
is  illustrated  with  extremely  good  drawings  by  Mr.  Stacey." 

— Saturday  Review. 


CHARLES  SCRIBNER'S  SONS 

597-599  Fifth  Avenue       -        -       NEW  YORK 


The  Boy's  King  Arthur 

Being  Sir  Thomas  Malory's   History   of  King  Arthur 
and  His  Knights  of  the  Round  Table 

Edited  by  Sidney  Lanier 

Illustrated.     $2.00 

"  Unconsciously  as  he  reads  of  the  brave  deeds,  the 
boy's  heart  is  thrilled  and  his  higher  nature  throbs  with 
knightly  longings." — Philadelphia  Times. 

The  Boy's  Percy 

Edited  by  Sidney  Lanier 

Illustrated.     $2.00 

"  He  who  walks  in  the  way  these  following  ballads  point 
will  be  manful  in  necessary  fight,  fa:r  in  trade,  loyal  in 
love,  tender  in  the  household,  plain  in  speech,  simple  in 
behavior,  and  honest  in  all  things." 

— From  Mr.  Lamer**  Introduction. 

The  Boy's  Froissart 

Being  Sir  John  Froissart's   Chronicles   of  Adventure, 
Battle,  and  Custom  in  England,  France,  Spain,  etc. 

Edited  by  Sidney  Lanier 

Illustrated.     $2.00 

"It  is  quite  the  beau  ideal  of  a  book  for  a  present  to 
an  intelligent  boy  or  girl." — Baltimore  Gazette. 

The  Knightly  Legends  of 
Wales 

Or  the  Boy's  Mabinogion 

Edited  by  Sidney  Lanier 

Illustrated.     $2.00 

"Amid  all  the  strange  and  fanciful  scenery  of  these 
stories,  character  and  the  ideals  of  character  remain  at 
the  simplest  and  purest." — The  Independent. 


CHARLES   SCRIBNER'S   SONS 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY,  LOS  ANGELES 

COLLEGE  LIBRARY 

1  A    H  A\/rv  ^is  book  is  due  on  the  last  date  stamped  below. 


FEB  9    '82  14  DJVY. 


7  '82  14  1 


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UIH    0  vj 


11DW 


Book  Slip — Series 


UCLA-College  Library 

PR  4785  H39tre  1902 


L  005  702  982  9 


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Library 

PR 


H39tre 
1902 


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illinium 
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